LA Sports Franchises Combine For A Shockingly Low Donation To Maui Wildfire Victims

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US-FIRE-MAUI
An aerial image shows destroyed homes and vehicles after a wind driven wildfire burned from the hills through neighborhoods to the Pacific Ocean, as seen in the aftermath of the Maui wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii, on August 17, 2023. Embattled officials in Hawaii who have been criticized for the lack of warnings as a deadly wildfire ripped through a town insisted on August 16 that sounding emergency sirens would not have saved lives. At least 110 people died when the inferno levelled Lahaina last week on the island of Maui, with some residents not aware their town was at risk until they saw flames for themselves. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
The 12 teams couldn't even put together half a million dollars.

Last week, wildfires ravaged the island of Maui, which forms part of the State of Hawaiʻi. Driven by the perform storm of high-pressure areas and Hurricane Dora, high winds blew the fires across the island. Additional fires started when live electric poles collapsed. Hundreds were evacuated and millions of dollars of property was destroyed. Elsewhere, at least 55 people have died in the town of Lāhainā. Furthermore, smaller and quickly-contained fires broke out on the islands of Hawai’i and O’ahu.

The fires have been attributed to the spread of invasive grass species like Guinea Grass and a prolonged period of hotter, drier weather. Additionally, recent US National Climate Assessments show that the state has received less rainfall. This is consistent with projections about the impact of anthropogenic climate change. However, the specific cause of these wildfires is as yet unknown. President Joe Biden stated he was diverting “all available federal resources” to Hawaii. Meanwhile, celebrities like Floyd Mayweather made donations to help the victims. However, the donation put forward by the 12 professional sports teams in Los Angeles has been widely criticized.

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LA Sports Teams Donate Less Than Half A Million Dollars

Through the Lakers, it was announced that 12 professional sports teams of Los Angeles (Angels, Angel City FC, Chargers, Clippers, Dodgers, Ducks, Galaxy, Kings, LAFC, Lakers, Rams, and Sparks) had come together to make a joint donation to victims of the wildfires. Those 12 franchises are worth a combined $31 billion. And yet they gave a joint donation of just $450,000. That's an average contribution of $37,500.

What made the situation worse for many social media users was the self-fellating press release that went to great lengths to talk about how much California teams had utilized facilities in Hawaii before also having the audacity to ask fans to also contribute via the American Red Cross. All of this while donating an amount equivalent to 0.0014% of their combined worth. As a reminder, the Lakers are paying LeBron James $47.6 million for the 2023-24 season. Chalk up another W for rampant, late-stage capitalism.

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About The Author
Ben Mock
Benjamin Mock (they/them) is a sports and culture writer working out of Philadelphia. Previously writing for the likes of Fixture, Dexerto, Fragster, and Jaxon, Ben has dedicated themselves to engaging and accessible articles about sports, esports, and internet culture. With a love for the weirder stories, you never quite know what to expect from their work.
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