Oakland Raiders donate $250K to save high school sports

The Oakland Raiders made a $250,000 donation to save sports that were eliminated by the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) due to budget constraints.

The OUSD announced earlier this year that it would cut 50 percent of its sports teams for the 2018-19 school year. That included wrestling, golf, tennis, swimming, boys volleyball and girls badminton. The cuts affected 347 female athletes compared to 183 male athletes, making the move a potential Title IX violation, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

After the donation, the district’s athletic department still faces a $200,000 shortfall.

“The prospect of these kids losing their dreams was difficult to hear for everyone in the community,” said Raiders Owner Mark Davis. “After school athletics are an important part of the high school experience and this donation will keep student-athletes on the playing fields in Oakland.”

The Raiders will allocate the funds through the East Bay Community Foundation. The donation will be coordinated with the Oakland Athletic League.

“For decades, the Oakland Raiders have been big brothers to our football players and models for all students to emulate. They have been there for us when we were down, and when our students needed someone to look up to. But this donation from the Raiders is like a last-second game-winning touchdown,” said OUSD Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell.

“$250,000 will go a long way to ensuring that our young people can dedicate themselves on the fields and courts, in the pools, and on the mats this year and beyond. There’s no way to properly thank anyone for such a huge donation, so let me just say from all students, staff and families, we thank the Oakland Raiders, and like us, you will always be OUSD.”

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