More than a dozen major North American sports leagues and players associations are partnering with the White House to promote physical fitness and healthy eating across the country, the Biden administration announced Thursday.
This new partnership, second gentleman Doug Emhoff told reporters, builds on the White House Challenge to End Hunger and Build Healthy Communities — and it’s expected to only be the first of more new commitments to be announced later.
"Too many Americans are living day to day, wondering where their next meal come from, without the basic tools necessary to be healthy. Too many Americans are also suffering from diet-related diseases, including heart disease, obesity, and Type 2 diabetes, which are some of the leading causes of death and disability in the United States. That's simply unacceptable," Emhoff said.
The fourteen leagues and players unions that have signed on to a new agreement with the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition will build on the leagues’ existing programs — like the NFL’s Play60 initiative, which encourages kids to exercise and play for 60 minutes each day and has impacted about 40 million children since 2007, per administration officials, and MLB’s PLAY BALL program, which encourages kids to play baseball and softball and urges nutrition education.
Other leagues and organizations, like MLS, the PGA Tour and the NWSL will work on food recovery programs and nutrition education events.
Notably, Emhoff said, the NBA and WNBA will bring nutrition education into their community programs, which already promote healthy diet and physical activity.
"These organizations will continue to take action to combat food insecurity, including at the All-Star Game weekend in Indianapolis," the marquee NBA event scheduled for Feb. 16 through Feb. 18, Emhoff said — adding that he’ll be in attendance, with the slightest tone of excitement.
All told, partner leagues include the NFL, NHL, MLB, NBA, WNBA, MLS, NWSL and PGA Tour, while athlete unions include the MLBPA, NWSLPA, NHLPA, MLSPA and USLPA.
The White House Challenge launched in March 2023 as a "call to action to stakeholders across all of society," the administration said, with the goal of ending hunger, reducing diet-related diseases by 2030, and reducing disparities. More than a dozen local government agencies, community organizations and corporations joined in to remodel and build schoolyards and playgrounds, enable easier access to produce and launch task forces to research strategies for rolling out healthy living and eating strategies in local communities.
"Sometimes big problems, they have very simple solutions," said chef, humanitarian and President’s Council co-chair Jose Andres. The solution to problems like food shortages, nutritional deficiencies and poor health in general, he said, comes from governments, nonprofits, private sectors and individuals championing change.
"Everyone should be integrating food into into every one of our decisions, our actions and yes, also our policies," Andres told reporters. "Today, this historic partnership is one of the new commitments cultivated through the White House Challenge and the President’s Council, and it’s very clear from their demonstration and how everyone, absolutely everyone, is showing up and taking responsibility for the physical and nutritional health of our neighbors and our future."
Andres is the founder of the World Central Kitchen, which provides healthful meals to survivors of disasters. He began the organization in response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and it has since organized meals and aid to the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Cuba, Uganda and Poland, in an effort to aid refugees from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
"I don’t have to tell you that, to me, very much community is an act, is a way of being…coexisting with those around us and making change together, supporting each other," Andres said. "With me, community is collaboration. And I think collaboration is the key to really meaningful actions."