The importance of Roberto Clemente and his legacy of philanthropy in baseball

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Levi Lee/The Occidental

Few in the baseball world are as revered as Roberto Clemente. If you’re a baseball fan, chances are that you’ve heard his name. Perhaps you saw a Hall of Fame plaque or some artifacts in a museum. If you were as lucky as I was, you got to hear a grandparent regale you with tales of Clemente — stories of game-saving catches, MVP performances and championship glory that endeared the Puerto Rican great to the entire baseball community. Despite his legendary on-field status, most of Clemente’s legacy lies off the field — his baseball career itself was merely a secondary aspect of his life. First and foremost, Clemente was a philanthropist.

Clemente’s dedication to altruism was woven into his heart from an early age. The youngest of seven children in a working class family, Clemente watched his mother do laundry, manage a grocery store and do numerous other odd jobs to help make ends meet. Clemente, meanwhile, worked alongside his father, who was a foreman for sugar cane crops on the north coast of Puerto Rico. Each day, Clemente and his brothers would assist their father, loading and unloading trucks in the sweltering heat. For Clemente, helping others was not merely a choice, but an obligation — one he would carry for the rest of his life.

Much of Clemente’s humanitarian efforts went towards making baseball accessible for everyone. As Clemente soared to fame through his play on the field, he began to utilize his influence to promote equality both inside baseball and out. During his off-seasons, Clemente would host free baseball clinics for underprivileged youth, giving aspiring players an opportunity they wouldn’t have had otherwise. Additionally, Clemente delivered financial aid to numerous Latin American nations, including his home of Puerto Rico. Clemente’s commitment to charity was made even more remarkable when one considered his yearly salary — he made $125,000 annually, equivalent to less than a million dollars today. For reference, the average MLB salary today is $4.8 million per season.

Unfortunately, tragedy would soon strike Clemente’s life. When Managua, the Nicaraguan capital, was hit by a massive earthquake in December of 1972, Clemente immediately got to work arranging relief flights to aid Nicaraguan citizens. However, his first three relief packages were stolen by corrupt Nicaraguan officials and never reached their destination. Thus, Clemente decided to board the fourth relief flight himself to ensure that the supplies reached the people safely. His plane suffered an engine failure soon after takeoff and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, killing Clemente. He was 38 years old.

Following the tragedy, the Roberto Clemente Foundation has worked to preserve the vision that Clemente never got to see come to fruition through community outreach programs, charitable baseball tournaments and, of course, baseball clinics.

In the wake of Clemente’s efforts, as well as that of the Roberto Clemente Foundation, philanthropy among athletes and sports organizations has become commonplace in the four major American sports. Across the NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA, athletes have established foundations in their name or have more outwardly begun doing things for the good of the public or the youth. This is an undertaking shared by both athletes and organizations alike.

In the MLB, take our hometown Boston Red Sox for example. The Red Sox Foundation was established in 2002 after current leading owner John Henry, Chairman Tom Werner and the late Larry Lucchino bought the club. Since then, the foundation has worked to establish a slew of programs directed at having a positive impact on the community. Branches of the foundation like Run to Home Base work to care and raise money for veterans and their families, while the Red Sox Scholars program works to provide Boston youth with access to better schooling, mentorship and professional development opportunities. The league as a whole has redoubled its efforts to give back, partnering with countless non-profits organizations for practically any cause you can think of. Considering both MLB partnerships with larger charities and individual teams working and creating charities in their community, Clemente’s message of giving back stands the test of time in the baseball world.

Though he only had a short one year tenure in Boston during the 2023 season, long time Los Angeles Dodger Justin Turner was one of our favorite players that embodied a philanthropic message. Through the Justin Turner Foundation, Turner hosts an annual 5K run to raise money for unhoused veterans, children with life altering and threatening diseases and various youth baseball organizations. This ultimately respectful and giving nature followed him onto the field, where he always gave veterans who were being honored at home games a thoughtful hug or handshake and a piece of signed merchandise. Turner inspired everyone around him to give back to an amazing community that welcomed him on short notice.

If we listed every single player and organization that contributed to the philanthropic output that the MLB is responsible for, let alone the entire rest of the sports world, this column would be 20,000 words. The impact that Clemente’s initial efforts have made is absolutely immeasurable. There is an entirely new reason to be thankful for sports and the positive impact they can have on the general public thanks to him.

Contact Mac Ribner and Ben Petteruti at ribner@oxy.edu and petteruti@oxy.edu

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1 COMMENT

  1. Clemente; El Gran Chico as my grandma called him! She recently told me that she cheated on my late grandfather with him for some reason (Clemente didn’t know she was a taken lady, bless his heart). Without getting into the nitty gritty, he was a real powerhouse off the field, if you’re picking up what I’m putting down. I’m not sure why she told me this, it was sort of gross hearing about it to be honest. But the tale *is* relevant to the article, so I felt supernaturally compelled to share. What a guy!

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