Sports-Men Take A Plunge For The Ice Bucket Challenge
It was all started by a golfer from Florida. Charles Kennedy was challenged by one of his friends to pour a bucket of ice water over his head for a donation to any charity of his choice. Kennedy chose an ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) charity as his cousin suffered from this terrible disease. Soon after, the trend started spreading, as more and more ALS activists joined the bandwagon.
It finally reached Pete Frates, a former college baseball player who suffered from ALS. His Ice Bucket Challenge (IBC) really went viral and especially spread amongst athletes all across Boston. At last the challenge reached football player Tom Brady and his model wife Gisele Bundchen. It was through them that the trend eventually spread to so many celebrities and sports stars all over the world.
As we are besieged by countless celebrity IBC videos, we look at some sports stars who took the challenge in their stride.
David Beckham
English soccer player, David Beckham is a former captain of the English national soccer team and one of the most respected soccer players in the world. Currently looking to start his own soccer franchise in Miami after a successful stint with the Los Angeles Galaxy in the MLS, Beckham took some time out for the IBC. He urged more people to give charity for ALS research before drenching himself with two buckets full of ice water. In the end he nominated Leonardo DiCaprio, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan to repeat the challenge.
Michael Jordan
Having won six NBA championships as a player, Michael Jordan is widely considered as the best basketball player of all time. Currently he owns the NBA franchise, the Charlotte Hornets, and is the first ex-player to own his own team. Jordan accepted the IBC from David Beckham as well as Ray Allen and Derek Jeter. He insisted on people taking the IBC and then contributing money as well to facilitate ALS research. After completing the ice bucket challenge, he nominated his former Chicago Bulls Coach Phil Jackson and all his team mates from the legendary ‘Dream Team’.
Charles Barkley
Barkley is a retired basketball player who started his career at the Philadelphia 76ers. He is considered to be one of the best basketball players of all time and along with Michael Jordan, was part of the dream team that won two Olympic gold medals in 1992 and 1996. Since his retirement, Barkley has been working as a basketball analyst on television. Barkley accepted the IBC from Michael Jordan and a friend named Chris. He also thanked everybody for nominating him and giving him the chance to contribute in any way possible for what he thought was a great cause for charity. He did not take the challenge entirely well however, implying that it wasn’t as easy as it looked, but since it was for a good cause, it was worth the effort.