With sports and society collectively at a stop, the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) partnered with every professional team in Southern California, as well as UCLA and USC, for a public service announcement urging fans to stay together and join them in practicing social distancing to slow the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
The L.A. Dodgers were represented by Walker Buehler in the ‘#LATogether’ video. It features Eduard Atuesta on behalf of LAFC, the L.A. Galaxy’s Jonathan dos Santos, L.A. Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma and L.A. Rams quarterback Jared Goff, among others.
“One of our Club pillars at LAFC is to be a Force for Good in the community of Los Angeles. It is our duty to use our platform to work with Mayor Garcetti, Governor Newsom and public health authorities to make sure the right messaging about this virus is out there so our fans can understand it and know how seriously to take this situation,” LAFC director of digital & content Will Walsh said in a statement provided to DodgerBlue.com.
“Even though we’re not practicing or playing matches, we still play a vital role in the Los Angeles community by lending our voice to show people how to fight this virus, flatten the curve, and keep our local businesses afloat during this time.
#LATogether https://t.co/tDdt2PEBrh
— Matthew Moreno (@MMoreno1015) April 6, 2020
“We tried to think of something we could do that would have the most powerful impact on the community. A PSA video that unifies all of the Los Angeles professional teams, as well as USC and UCLA, speaks volumes. For a moment in history as momentous as this, we needed to rise above sports and our rivalries to come together for our community. We all collectively represent Los Angeles, and we all hope that this statement encourages each of our fans to do their part to fight during this time.
“We are fortunate to have a good relationship with all of the teams throughout Southern California, so getting everyone on board was relatively easy. What really laid the groundwork for this was in February, LAFC hosted a meet and greet at Banc of California Stadium for the digital, video, and social teams in the L.A. area. That was where we got to know each other on a more personal level. Aside from the opportunity to meet our peers at the different teams and leagues in the area, that set the scene for future collaboration on a big project like this.”
LAFC recently teamed up with the LAFC Foundation and Legends to donate fresh fruits and vegetables to community partner Union Rescue Mission. Last week, the Black & Gold raised over $5,000 for Los Angeles based charities battling the coronavirus when it hosted the L.A. Charity FIFA 20 Challenge, an e-sports rivalry match-up against the Galaxy.
In partnership with Banc of California, LAFC is also creating an online hub that will feature financial, educational, and health and wellness resources available to the Los Angeles community.
LAFC additionally is working with BODYARMOR to donate product for staff and patients in need at Kaiser Permanente, and with CLIF to donate product to the community for those in need.
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