Granderson puts time, money to benefit education
Photo credit: Getty Images | Outfielder Curtis Granderson #28 of the Detroit Tigers leads off against the Philadelphia Phillies in spring training. (March 22, 2009)
Curtis Granderson
Top MLB free agents: A different spin
In Curtis Granderson, the Yankees are getting perhaps the most intriguing player in Major League Baseball today. And that statement has nothing to do with his baseball skills.
Though some major leaguers may have been as active in charities as Granderson has been in recent years, few can say they have as specific a focus as this speedy centerfielder.
With a father who taught in grade school, a mother who taught science in high school and a sister who is a college professor, Granderson's roots are firmly entrenched in education. He's doing his part by putting all of his charity efforts into furthering education, by donating his money and his time.
To understand just how serious Granderson is about this issue, take a look at what he wrote on his Yahoo! blog after meeting President Barack Obama in the clubhouse before the All-Star Game last July: "The meeting was brief, so I didn't get to say everything I wanted to, especially as it pertains to discussing educational initiatives with him, but it was still very cool to shake his hand and say hello."
The Wall Street Journal reported last summer that only 26 major-league players and managers have college degrees, out of a pool of about 700 people. Granderson, 28, is one of them, graduating with a dual major in business administration and business marketing from University of Illinois at Chicago. And here's the kicker: He graduated on time, even though he left school after his junior year when the Tigers drafted him.
"He sat down with his advisers and his professors at UIC and mapped out a plan so he could still graduate on time," Granderson's publicist, John Fuller, said Tuesday. "I know there were a couple of instances where he flew back for a day to give a presentation in class."
Fuller actually met Granderson by chance, when he happened to sit behind Granderson's parents when the Tigers were in Chicago to play the Cubs during his first full season in 2006. Fuller hit it off with his parents and a week later he was on the phone with Granderson to discuss a working relationship.
"My first question to an athlete when I meet them for the first time is always, 'What do you want from P.R.? What do you want this to do for you?' " Fuller said. "The standard answer is always, 'I want more endorsement deals,' or, 'I want more appearances.' But for Curtis, the first answer was, 'I want to work with the schools in Detroit. Can you get that done?' That was a pretty unique answer and I knew then I had a pretty unique guy on the other end of the phone."
In their three-plus seasons working together, they've done a lot of programs with Detroit- area schools that promote creativity, Fuller said. As opposed to simply doing a school assembly, Granderson instead has asked students to take part in essay, art and music contests. The winners of those contests, Fuller said, either are brought to a game, have a private lunch with Granderson or he'll visit them at school.
"He doesn't want to be caught in the realm of only helping the kids who play sports or only helping the athletes," he said. "That's why we do a lot of educational-based contests and incentive programs."
This past season Granderson also ran a program through his foundation asking fans to pledge anywhere from a penny to $200 to the Detroit-area school of their choice for every run he scored. "With 100 percent of that money going back into the schools," Fuller said, "he wanted to prove every dollar makes a difference."
Granderson is so popular that his Facebook page is apparently at maximum capacity. Requests to friend him result in this message: "Sorry, this user already has too many friends."
You might say that's at least one positive sign for the future of education in our country.
