Second Thoughts

Donations spike after Zeke’s leap

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott was not fined for jumping into the Salvation Army kettle, but
$182,000 in online donations have been made since Sunday night.
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott was not fined for jumping into the Salvation Army kettle, but $182,000 in online donations have been made since Sunday night.

Sometimes, committing a penalty can be beneficial in the long run.

In the Dallas Cowboys' 26-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night, Ezekiel Elliott scored on a 2-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to give in the Cowboys a 10-3 lead. To celebrate the touchdown, Elliott jumped into oversized red Salvation Army kettle behind the end zone at AT&T Stadium, drawing a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

After the game, Elliott said if the NFL fined him, he would match the fine with a donation to the Salvation Army, an international charitable organization that is structured in a quasi-military fashion and has had a connection with the Cowboys for nearly 20 years. The kettles, which have been on the sidelines at Cowboys home games during the holiday season since 1997, symbolize the smaller kettles used for donations outside many department stores during the holidays.

On Monday morning, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy posted on Twitter that a fine is not forthcoming.

While there is no fine for Elliott, the Salvation Army is benefiting from the publicity from Elliott's kettle jump.

By 9;30 a.m. Monday, approximately 12 1/2 hours after Elliott's jump, the Salvation Army had taken in $182,000 in online donations, according to Lt. Col. Ron Busroe, the national community relations and development secretary for the Salvation Army. Busroe said that was a 61 percent increase over a similar time period from Sunday night to Monday morning last week.

Eric Smallwood, president of the sponsorship evaluation firm Ape Marketing Group, said the publicity surrounding Elliott's jump was worth at least $4 million in equivalent advertising.

Jerry Jones, the Cowboys' owner, president and general manager, said, "Let's give Zeke credit for that. It is certainly fun. We have those kettles there because we do want the visibility of reminding everybody, certainly at this time of year, how doing the most good is putting a dollar in that red kettle. To have gotten that attention in front of probably 20 million or so people last night for the Salvation Army was just wonderful."

Busroe said the online donations were a welcome surprise for the Salvation Army. He said through last week, red kettle donations were down 16 percent compared to last year, when donations totaled a record $150 million. Approximately 6 percent of the Salvation Army's red kettle holiday campaign donations come online.

For those wondering, Elliott said he'll still make a donation.

The Buccaneers never took advantage of the penalty, the Cowboys won and the the Salvation Army saw an increase in donations. A victory for everyone involved.

Exposing all

To help raise money and overcome the high costs and scarce funding on the professional ski tours, five female and six male ski races have joined together to pose nude for a promotional calendar.

The calendar is called "Under the Suit: The Bodies of the Ski Team," and features the skiers in naked action shots: Either on the slopes or mountain biking in Chile and New Zealand, or pumping iron at a gym in Park City, Utah.

Skiers rated below "A" team level must pay their own travel costs, ranging from $15,000 to $35,000 each season. The original idea for the calendar came from Brennan Rubie, who is racing at "C" team level.

Athletes should get up to $4,000 each from sales of the calendars, which Rubie said is "a big chunk of money that can really take some stress off."

"Athletes are being more and more unfunded, having to find our own means. So this summer we tried to be creative," said Jacqueline Wiles, a member of the "B" team who is profiled in the calendar.

Given that skiing doesn't generate much publicity outside of Olympic years, this is one bound to create publicity and extra money for the skiers.

Sports quiz

How many touchdowns has Ezekiel Elliott scored this year?

Answer

14, 13 rushing and 1 receiving

Sports on 12/20/2016

Upcoming Events