Not In Our Town is proud to announce an exciting new campaign with our home town team, the Golden State Warriors! The Warriors are partnering with Not In Our Town, urging fans across the country to Take the Pledge [1] to stop hate and bullying.
In a new PSA titled "Not On Our Ground, Not In Our Town," players including NBA All-Stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson publicly share their commitment to stand up to bullying. Draymond Green, Shaun Livingston and Coach Steve Kerr join the call. You can join them by sharing this video via Facebook [2] or Twitter [3] today!
"We've had great success this year [and] people are paying attention to what we're saying," said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr in an interview with CSN Bay Area. "So it's important for our organization to be part of the campaign against bullying. If we can make an impact, with even a handful of people, that's important."
Join the Warriors and take the pledge against hate and bullying today! [1]
To kick-off the "Not On Our Ground" campaign last week, the team joined with Not In Our Town and CSN Bay Area to host a panel and discussion with 25 Oakland High School atheletes. Former players and Warriors Star Adonal Foyle joined our own Not In Our School director Becki Cohn-Vargas and Aquil Rasheed on stage to discuss bullying and what can be done to prevent it. See the slideshow of the event here. [4]
Yahoo Sports writer Dan Devine wrote about the Warriors' new venture and the role of bullying in sports [5]. Bullying, he said, has not often been a major part of NBA discussion but has come to the forefront in recent years, including an anti-hazing memorandum sent to all 30 NBA teams in 2013. Multiple NBA players spoke out against locker-room bullying and hazing, and others connected with their communities by sharing their own bullying stories. Devine writes,
On one hand, such interactions help make clear just how damaging exclusionary behavior or language can be, even for those who possess the kinds of gifts and skills that many others envy. On the other, they can also help show young people that it's possible to not only survive such treatment, but thrive and go on to accomplish great things.
The Warriors have invited Not In Our Town to their April 11 home game in Oakland, where the PSA will premiere in front of thousands of fans! (Click here to share it on Facebook today [2]).