Alliance: LA News

Discover the latest news from the Alliance.

Updates and media reports from the launch of The Alliance: Los Angeles, the 11 pro sports organizations and the partnership with the Play Equity Fund.

nhl.com

The Alliance Los Angeles: One Year Stronger

Hundreds gathered Sunday for a march and discussion in celebration of the one year anniversary of The Alliance.

dailybreeze.com

Angelenos stand up against racism during unity march

In a show of solidarity against racism, students, community members and civic leaders came together for a youth-led unity march and a dialogue on Sunday, July 18, at Exposition Park.

nhl.com

The Alliance’s Unity March & Dialogue

The Ducks joined 10 other Southern California pro teams in the The Alliance’s Unity March & Dialogue.

aegworldwide.com

AEG’s LA Kings and LA Galaxy Participate in Alliance LA’s First Unity March and Dialogue in Fight Against Racism

Panelists and Speakers featured AEG Sports Chief Operating Officer Kelly Cheeseman and LA Kings Professional Hockey Scout Blake Bolden, among others.

dailynews.com

Angelenos stand up against racism during unity march

In a show of solidarity against racism, students, community members and civic leaders came together for a youth-led unity march and a dialogue on Sunday, July 18, at Exposition Park.span>

spectrumnews1.com

Play Equity encouraging, inspiring youth through sports

With Southern California’s percentage of positive COVID-19 cases in decline, more and more youth sports leagues and teams are resuming play. One organization is focused on bringing the transformational power of sports and play to all children regardless of race, gender, zip code or socioeconomic status.Unfortunately, many minorities do not have access to youth sporting facilities nor the opportunity to play sports of any kind in their communities. Taking the lead to try and create more opportunities in these communities, the LA84 Foundation established the PlayEquity fund in 2014.

AW360

Black Excellence at Work – Zambezi and The ALLIANCE:Los Angeles Collaborate for BHM

The ALLIANCE:Los Angeles, along with agency partner Zambezi, recently wrapped up a new campaign celebrating Black Excellence at Work during Black History Month. The ALLIANCE is comprised of the 11 professional sports teams in LA that are joined together in a shared commitment to drive investment and impact for social justice through sport. This new social media campaign aims to illustrate real career options and opportunities in the sports field beyond the professional athlete’s role by highlighting some of the exceptional Black individuals that are driving these 11 professional sports teams and filling important business and training focused roles. Each video shares an individual’s personal story, the role that sports has played in their lives, and their career journey. They also speak to DEI related issues and share their perspective on what Black Excellence and Black History Month means to them.

Good Morning America

Los Angeles pro sports teams band together to level the playing field

Renata Simril talks about The Alliance’s goal of bringing social justice reform to communities of color
through sports.

Los Angeles Times

Protests slow to a crawl, but The Alliance hopes to continue progress

At the onset of the uprising following the deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, elected officials to grassroots leaders all said some version of, “This time it’s different.” It certainly felt that way with worldwide protests and Bubba Wallace challenging NASCAR to remove the Confederate flag. However, a month or so later protest coverage has subsided. Monuments are being removed but the officers responsible for Taylor’s death still walk free. The NBA is in a bubble and Instagram models are lobbying to burst it. This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for — when we see whether the country’s newfound passion for Juneteenth actually makes it to Kwanza. The leaders from Southern California’s 11 professional sports teams have decided to move forward. The owners have set aside their differences — and egos — to form The Alliance, a five-year partnership with each other and two local initiatives — the Play Equity Fund and Accelerate Change Together. The purpose of The Alliance is for the teams to merge their considerable resources in an effort to aid underserved Black and Latino children through sports. And while each team will continue its individual philanthropic work in this area, there is a collective accountability. It’s not just a check and a lovely statement. It’s monitoring the program’s success by tracking items such as high school graduation rates, college admission and, more importantly, retention.

The Undefeated.com

Eleven pro franchises are uniting to create change in communities of color

Professional sports teams in Los Angeles have combined to form The ALLIANCE: Los Angeles in an effort to create change in communities of color and address racial injustice and racial inequality. The alliance features the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Chargers, LA Clippers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Football Club, LA Galaxy, Los Angeles Kings, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Sparks in a five-year commitment designed to push investment and fight for social justice through sports. “The ALLIANCE: Los Angeles has been forged specifically to create positive change in underserved communities, with an emphasis on Black communities,” a spokesperson for The ALLIANCE: Los Angeles said in a press release. “All 11 teams are united in their dedication to this effort and recognize driving change is a long-term commitment. Through sports and social programming, we aim to work in communities to affect structural changes on levels that have a lasting impact.” The 11 professional franchises sports will work together to “address racial injustice, develop educational opportunities, and support other important issues facing communities of color, particularly Black communities.”

TheGrio.com

SoCal’s 11 pro sports team form The Alliance to aid Black, Latinx children: Newly formed collective of athletes taps Renata Simril, a woman of color, with the task of leading the effort

Southern California’s 11 professional sports teams have come together to help Black and Latinx children with The Alliance. The five-year partnership will merge with two local initiatives, the Play Equity Fund and Accelerate Change Together. The goals of the project are to form collective accountability by monitoring high school graduation rates, college admission, and retention. Each team will also continue their individual philanthropic efforts. Renata Simril, the President, and CEO of the LA84 Foundation has been tasked with leading the effort. “Forty-two percent of LAUSD students are obese or overweight and there are a lot of reasons why. Funding is one. Lack of volunteers and mentors. Safe passage to playgrounds. This is all a hindrance to academic success.”

NBA.com

11 L.A. pro teams forge ‘The Alliance: Los Angeles’ to use sport for social justice: NBA’s Clippers, Lakers among teams participating in 5-year commitment

In a collaboration to pursue change in communities of color and develop meaningful programs, the 11 professional sports organizations in greater Los Angeles have joined together to launch The ALLIANCE: Los Angeles, a comprehensive five-year commitment to drive investment and impact for social justice through sport. Following the recent protests nationwide, the 11 teams have united to address racial injustice, develop educational opportunities, and support other important issues facing communities of color, particularly Black communities. The 11 teams will advocate for social justice, address disparities and take actions to help end racial inequality. This commitment includes supporting the Play Equity Fund’s social justice movement in communities across greater Los Angeles

Chargers.com

Chargers Working to Set Tone for L.A.’s Alliance

or the first time ever, all 11 sports teams in the Greater Los Angeles area will be playing in the same arena. Last week marked the launch of The Alliance: “a comprehensive five-year commitment to drive investment and impact for social justice through sport.” As part of The Alliance, teams will support the Play Equity Fund in Los Angeles, as well as Accelerate Change Together (ACT) Anaheim. “This moment was so big that all 11 teams came on and jumped on board, and that kind of collaboration has never been seen before,” Chargers President of Business Operations A.G. Spanos told CBS Los Angeles. According to Play Equity Fund President Renata Simril, 48 percent of children in the LAUSD are obese or overweight. She called kids not having equal access to sport “a crisis hiding in plain sight.” “The work that we do is really about breaking those barriers, closing those gaps,” Simril said. “We fund a middle school sports program in all 100 middle schools in LAUSD. [We’re] trying to do our part to give kids an opportunity to play and to move and to be active because we know the critical importance of that to both their physical health and their mental health – and the connection to academic success.”

TheRams.com

Sean McVay says The ALLIANCE: Los Angeles is another opportunity to empower players’ social justice efforts

The Los Angeles Rams joined the greater L.A. area’s other 10 professional sports teams to form The ALLIANCE: Los Angeles and embark on a five-year commitment to combating racial injustice. An engagement like this bears an obligation to participating players, coaches and executives to continue engaging with the communities they have already been serving. On Tuesday, Rams head coach Sean McVay emphasized the importance of empowering players to carry out the alliance’s mission. “More than anything, it’s giving them those options and what really resonates with them, because then it feels authentic and genuine,” McVay said during a video conference with coaches and executives Tuesday morning. “And then you’re using this platform for exactly what the intent is, and that’s making a change and having that equity be more representative of everything, not just sports.” The goal of this collaborative effort between the Rams, Chargers, Dodgers, Angels, Kings, Ducks, Lakers, Clippers, Sparks, Galaxy and Los Angeles Football Club is to pursue change in communities of color and develop meaningful programs and drive investment and impact for social justice through sport. These pursuits will be made in partnership with the Play Equity Fund, a 501(c)3 public charity established in Los Angeles to drive social change across communities through sport.

MLSSoccer.com

LAFC, LA Galaxy join Alliance: Los Angeles to utilize sport for social justice

They’re rivals on the field, but off the field LAFC and the LA Galaxy are joining forces with the nine other professional sports organizations in the Greater Los Angeles area to help utilize sport to drive impact and investment for social justice through sport as part of a new non-profit called ALLIANCE: Los Angeles.

LA Sentinel

Los Angeles Pro Teams Unite to Battle Social Injustices

The 11 professional sports teams that represent Los Angeles came together to create “The A11iance,” a group designed to empower marginalized youth in Los Angeles through sports. The Alliance has made a five-year commitment to galvanize Black and Brown communities. The teams came together for the first time on May 31, in the wake of the civil unrest for the murder of George Floyd. “In many cases we’re rivals, but in this case, we’re allies to push against racial injustice to take on important issues and communities of color and particularly the Black community,” said Tom Penn, the president and co-owner of the LAFC. “We expect this alliance to be a beacon and a magnet for cooperation and collaboration in Los Angeles.” The teams are partnering with the Play Equity Fund.

NBC Los Angeles

All 11 Professional Sports Teams in Los Angeles Unite for Social Justice

The 11 professional sports organizations in the greater Los Angeles area have joined together to launch The ALLIANCE: Los Angeles, a comprehensive five-year commitment to drive investment and impact for social justice through sport. All 11 teams made the announcement simultaneously through press releases on Tuesday. “The ALLIANCE: Los Angeles has been forged specifically to create positive change in underserved communities, with an emphasis on Black communities,” said a spokesperson for The ALLIANCE: Los Angeles. “All 11 teams are united in their dedication to this effort and recognize driving change is a long-term commitment. Through sports and social programming, we aim to work in communities to affect structural changes on levels that have a lasting impact.” “The ALLIANCE: Los Angeles is an unprecedented collaboration by sports organizations recognizing the impact they can have by working together, and they should be commended for seeking to make significant changes in communities of color,” said Renata Simril, President of the Play Equity Fund. “The Los Angeles region is one of the world’s most competitive markets, and sports is one of the world’s most competitive industries. But these organizations are putting their competitive instincts aside to work collaboratively for social justice.” The ALLIANCE: Los Angeles is partnering with the Play Equity Fund to manage this initiative in greater Los Angeles. A 501(c)3 public charity, the Play Equity Fund was established in Los Angeles to drive social change across communities through sport. It is the only nonprofit worldwide dedicated to Play Equity as a social justice issue to bring the transformative power of sport and structured play to youth – regardless of their race, socioeconomic status or gender – who have been left behind by the current system.

The Press-Enterprise

The Alliance attempts to make an impact in communities of color

It is unprecedented. A coalition of Southern California’s 11 professional sports organizations, some of whom compete bitterly on the field or court and all of whom scramble for area fans’ dollars and attention, have banded together for a cause. It is noble. They recognize that by pooling their efforts and resources and going all-in with the LA84 Foundation’s Play Equity initiative, they can help make a difference in communities of color desperately in need of jobs, educational opportunities and hope. And it is ambitious. The ALLIANCE: Los Angeles, the combined effort of the Dodgers, Angels, Rams, Chargers, Lakers, Clippers, Kings, Ducks, LAFC, Galaxy and Sparks unveiled Tuesday, has given itself a five-year window to create and sustain change in those communities, through funding and attention. Will it work? Will these organizations, all of whom have their own issues with a global pandemic having ravaged the sports landscape, stay the course and maintain the commitment that was announced Tuesday? Maybe this is the best way to look at it: There is too much at stake, in Southern California and beyond, for it not to work. This collaboration can be a powerful example in other cities where sports have such an outsized profile. It is not the sole path to the end of poverty and inequality. But it’s an idea and a commitment, and more specifically one that will be monitored and tracked to gauge its progress. It’s most definitely a start. “We felt like, if not sports, then who?” said Tom Penn, president and owner of LAFC, during the virtual news conference Tuesday at which this collaboration was officially announced. “Our goal is pretty simple. It’s to unite as allies. In many cases we’re rivals, but in this case we’re allies to push against racial injustice, to take on important issues in communities of color and particularly the Black community. We expect this alliance to be a beacon and a magnet for cooperation and collaboration in Los Angeles and greater Los Angeles.”

Associated Press

LA teams join forces for social justice initiative

USA Today

Los Angeles’ 11 professional sports teams join together to tackle racial injustice

The 11 professional sports organizations in greater Los Angeles are joining together in a bid to enact societal change and eradicate racial injustice. The ALLIANCE: Los Angeles will partner with the Play Equity Fund, a charity established to drive social change within Los Angeles communities through programming and sports. The alliance aims to “drive investment and impact for social justice through sport” and to better cater to underserved populations, with an emphasis on Black communities. The 11 professional teams making a five-year commitment are the NFL’s Rams and Chargers, MLB’s Dodgers and Angels, NBA’s Lakers and Clippers, NHL’s Kings, and Anaheim Ducks, WNBA’s Sparks and MLS’ Galaxy and Los Angeles Football Club. “The Los Angeles region is one of the world’s most competitive markets, and sports is one of the world’s most competitive industries. But these organizations are putting their competitive instincts aside to work collaboratively for social justice,” said Renata Simril, president of the Play Equity Fund.

LAGalaxy.com

LA Galaxy unite with all LA area professional sports teams to establish The Alliance: Los Angeles

NHL.com

Kings launch initiative to make hockey more inclusive

The Los Angeles Kings launched an inclusion initiative Tuesday that’s designed to help eradicate racism in hockey and beyond, as well as to build equity in sports. The LA Kings Inclusion Initiative will be guided by Blake Bolden, who became the NHL’s first Black female scout when the Kings hired her six months ago, and will strive to combat racism by tackling systemic issues in the greater Los Angeles area and within the hockey industry while creating opportunities and equity within the game. The initiative stems from the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died while in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25. “Amidst all the outcry that was amplified with the murder of George Floyd and countless others and the recurring evidence of systemic racism in our society, we have devoted an enormous amount of time looking inward at our organization and our sport at all levels here locally in Los Angeles,” Kings chief operating officer Kelly Cheeseman said. “It is clearly evident that we can do more to contribute to systemic change.” The Kings’ initiative will work in conjunction with The Alliance: Los Angeles, a collaboration of all 11 professional sports teams in the area that has a five-year commitment to drive investment and work toward social justice through sport.

ABC7 Los Angeles

Lakers, Dodgers and Rams among 11 LA sports teams to form ‘The Alliance’

The 11 professional sports organizations in the Los Angeles area putting any and all rivalries aside to form an unprecedented partnership called “The ALLIANCE.” Executives for the eleven teams gathered via Zoom to make the announcement on Tuesday. After the recent nationwide protests against racial inequality, they wanted to do something. They’ve made a five-year commitment to increase sports and structured play programs for young people in communities of color.

Yahoo.com

All 11 LA pro sports teams unite as ‘The Alliance’ to use sport for social justice

The 11 professional sports teams in the greater Los Angeles area are uniting to launch “The ALLIANCE: Los Angeles” in a commitment to social justice through sports. They will work as one in a five-year commitment toward “meaningful programs” that will make a positive impact and change in communities of color. It is a result of the nationwide protests after the death of George Floyd and teams individually working toward social justice causes, including those at bubble season sites. The group is partnering with the Play Equity Fund to better access and opportunity for youth in the city to join athletic programs no matter their family’s income or zip code.

FOXSports.com

LA teams join forces for social justice initiative

Southern California’s professional sports teams compete for advertising dollars and attention from fans but the 11 organizations are joining forces for a new social justice initiative. The franchises announced Tuesday that they are launching The Alliance: Los Angeles. The five-year partnership’s main emphasis will be to provide more resources for underserved Black children. It also aims to address racial injustice while developing educational programs. The Alliance — which also includes the Angels, Chargers, Clippers, Dodgers, Ducks, Kings, Galaxy, Lakers, Rams and Sparks — will work closely with Los Angeles’ Play Equity Fund and Accelerate Change Together (ACT) Anaheim. Renata Simril, the president of the Play Equity Fund, said the program’s progress will be measured by tracking high school graduation rates, college admission and retention. Simril said the five-year commitment from teams was important because changes will not happen overnight. “The next step is to engage community organizations and a cohort of young leaders,” she said. “We are really trying to change systems and engage over the long term. The teams are committed to staying with it.”

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