The Anti-Trump #AGoodGame Campaign Raised More Than $20,000
Photo via AP
After all the buzz about comic Josh Gondelman’s #AGoodGame campaign, for which people were invited to pledge to donate money every time the Patriots scored, more than $20,000 has been raised for nonprofits.
“It’s just so heartening to see how many people (even non football fans) were excited to contribute to institutions like the ACLU, the NAACP [Legal Defense Fund], CAIR, the SLPC, Planned Parenthood, the IRC, ProPublica, and so many more to help keep vulnerable people and institutions safe in difficult times,” Gondelman says in an email. “Every little contribution is meaningful.”
Never been happier to part with money (thx @joshgondelman !!) #AGoodGame #patriots #weareallpatriots pic.twitter.com/QShMNzp9mV
— Nick Hawthorne (@HawthorneNick) February 6, 2017
For a lot of people who felt conflicted about cheering for the Patriots—given the special bond shared by the team’s star, coach, and owner with President Donald Trump—#AGoodGame seemed a perfect solution. The idea was that by donating, people who are concerned about Trump but love their team could enjoy the action guilt-free.
Gondelman promised to give $100 for every touchdown, and $50 for every field goal, scored by the Pats, and he invited followers to do something similar. The proposal took off on Twitter, and scores of people pledged to take part, too.
pretty cool what a team of driven, good hearted folks can accomplish—
(thanks to @joshgondelman‘s idea)#SB51 #AGoodGame#Patriots #RiseUp pic.twitter.com/P9CHm9T4PW— z (@hotairbuff0on) February 6, 2017
He says the total value of “confirmed donations” is still being calculated. He asked people to share how much they gave, and to which organization, on Twitter or via an anonymous form.
Some gave to national nonprofits, while others focused on local ones, including at least one donation to Rosie’s Place, the Boston women’s shelter.
#AGoodGame Donating to Boston area women’s shelter @RosiesPlace pic.twitter.com/09WfXr8T94
— Estelle Nickleby (@estenickleby) February 6, 2017
Some found other creative ways to give. One person pledged 10 cents for every drone that was used during Lady Gaga’s halftime performance.
Awright, I pledged a dime per Gaga drone to @theIRC for #AGoodGame, she had 300 drones, here we are! @epdog2005 https://t.co/eeVbOemNdb pic.twitter.com/Y1RX4e8rcf
— Renata Sancken (@renatasnacks) February 6, 2017
It wasn’t always clear that the fundraiser would end up a success. At the end of the first half, with the Patriots down 21-3, it looked like bad news—for the team, of course, but also for Gondleman’s fundraiser. “Honestly, the first half was a little bleak,” he says. As a backup, he says he donated when Brady threw a pick-six “because technically it did constitute a Patriots player throwing a touchdown.”
Things clearly worked out in the end, as the Pats clawed their way back and pulled off an unbelievable win.
I have paid off my #AGoodGame promise to @SavetheChildren. My math looks like this: pic.twitter.com/komMvvdQ3h
— Owen King (@OwenKingwriter) February 6, 2017
Gondelman says he’s heartened by how many people with shallower pockets than his gave small donations, and by those who couldn’t afford to give but pledged to volunteer or call their representatives.
“Hopefully it’s an apt metaphor for our country that even though President Trump left his own Super Bowl party in the third quarter, hundreds of people stuck with their team and their principles for what turned out to be both #AGoodGame and a legitimately good game,” he says.
Tnx to everyone who played in my #SuperBowl squares! Both organizations hit big on the $5 grid with $147 for @PPact & $245 for the @ACLU! pic.twitter.com/U6KLCcs4DE
— Billy Procida (@TheBillyProcida) February 6, 2017
