The Players Alliance stopped in Detroit on Friday afternoon to provide services and more for local Detroit citizens.
The Detroit PAL Corner ballpark probably saw its most action all year on Friday. And they have The Players Alliance, along with Cameron Maybin to thank for that.
In a special community giveback, the non-profit organization rolled their tour bus into the Corktown. Their goal was to provide free COVID-19 testing and a pop-up pantry of food for the less fortunate. And not to forget, they donated new baseball equipment to adolescents and teenagers in attendance as well.
They also had some assistance from fellow non-profit group Pull Up Neighbor.
Anthony Holt, the founder non-profit org of Pull Up Neighbor, was in attendance to assist. He praised everyone’s efforts involved.
“They [The Players Alliance] wanted to get out and have an impact in the community,” said Holt.
“Everyone sees what is going on, and they stepped up and really put their foot forward. I’m the founder of Pull Up Neighbor. We partnered together to come out and do this great collaboration.”
Who or what exactly is The Players Alliance? And what role does Cameron Maybin play with them?
The Players Alliance is a non-profit organization of more than 100 black current and former professional baseball players. Along with that, they aim to use their collective voice and platform to create inspired opportunities for people of color.
And one person behind helping create those opportunities is former Detroit Tigers‘ outfielder Cameron Maybin.
Maybin, who is coming off his third stint with the Tigers, did more than sign autographs and do photo-ops. He’s was in the thick of things, passing out equipment and directing people where to be. He mentioned the murder of George Floyd as inspiration behind the alliance’s formation. Their mission is to impart a positive influence on the world. To do that, Maybin feels you lead with work in the community.
“Community is where it starts,” said Maybin. “You know, I wouldn’t be where I am today without community.”
The work of The Players Alliance is far from done, according to Maybin.
“We also started our mentorship group, allowing us to bridge to bridge the gaps between ages 12 to 15, to the guys just getting drafted,” said Maybin.
“And like a lot of guys you see here, they’ll be getting drafted. This [mentorships] allows them to have an avenue to call us or reach out to us, so we can get them ready for what it is to be a professional athlete, and just a citizen ‘out and about’ in public.”
Maybin went on to state the upcoming work for him and The Players Alliance, which includes creating scholarships. Along with that, they’ll work with inner-cities and Little Leagues to supply them with equipment and adequate playing fields.
Maybin’s focus on Friday was community service. Nonetheless, he didn’t shy away from saying he would love a fourth stint with the Detroit Tigers. He bluntly said he is ready to come home.
“Let’s do it, baby,” offered a hyped-up Maybin.
Detroit Tigers Vice President of Operations and general manager Al Avila was also on hand to represent the Tigers.
The current 33-city tour by The Players Alliance to support inner-city communities has the full support of Major League Baseball.
Detroit Tigers VP of operations Al Avila made an appearance as well at Friday’s event. He more than happy with the turnout. Above all though, he was happy with the Tigers’ involvement as well. During a brief chat with Woodward Sports, Avila offered:
“From baseball operations, we always try to get our players involved in different things. So, as the season starts, you’ll see our players, from time to time, go out and make appearances throughout the community for different reasons they come up.”
It is never a bad look for professional athletes and sports organizations to give back to the communities that support them regularly.
Click here to learn more about The Players Alliance and its efforts in the community.
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