NIL deals have the potential to earn college athletes lots of money. But when their earnings are used for more than their own interests, they take on a greater meaning.
Blake Corum, a running back at the Univerity of Michigan, wanted his NIL revenues to do more than just line his pockets, so he decided to do something special with it.
Spend it on his community.
As per the story by Angelique Chengelis of The Detroit News, the idea came to Corum about five weeks ago. He wanted to buy 100 turkeys for the Ypsilanti community in Michigan, so he used his NIL funds and made the purchases.
On Sunday, he held the “Giving Back 2 Give Thanks” event. And with the help of local charity groups, they doubled the number of turkeys distributed while also adding mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, milk and other essentials for a hearty Thanksgiving meal.
“I’ve always given back, whether it’s a football camp or small things,” said Corum. “I’ve always invested in giving back to my community and trying to get the next generation to live out their dreams. Thanksgiving was coming along, NIL is going really good, and I told my Dad (James), ‘I’m going to buy 100 turkeys.’”
Corum was a volunteer at CLR Academy in Ypsilanti, which has a Michigan connection in sponsor Mike Hart, who was a running back for the Wolverines from 2004-2007.
After hearing about his desire to do something special for Thanksgiving, Hart connected with Bilal Saeed, chairman and co-owner of AFC Ann Arbor soccer club and a contributor to First and Pen.
Bilal got the ball rolling, which attracted more partners and helped create Sunday’s successful event.
This isn’t new for Corum. Giving back is something he learned in high school.
“Going to a school like St. Frances, inner-city, it changes your perspective on life,” said Corum. “So whatever you can do, it’s all about giving back.
“It’s all about making sure the next generation can out-do you.”
Giving back and uplifting those behind you is extremely important. Seeing athletes taking the time to accomplish those tasks is both heartwarming and inspirational.
“When I was growing up in the athletic world, people helped me. They looked out, they helped me,” Corum said. “I didn’t really need much, but people were there for me. I just wanted to be able to give back in any way possible whether it be giving out turkeys, just small things that put a smile on someone’s face.”
Putting a smile on someone’s face and feeding the hungry is even better.
“It’s an important holiday. Everyone deserves to have a nice little meal.”
