GoHeels Exclusive: Tar Heels Launch 'I Play For' Campaign

By Pat James, GoHeels.com

When Bubba Cunningham thinks back on some of the most successful teams during his nearly seven years as North Carolina's director of athletics, he notices a common theme.

It's not an abundance of talent. Nor is it championship-caliber coaching, although both certainly help yield positive results. Instead, Cunningham recognizes how the student-athletes and coaches on those teams dedicate their performances to causes bigger than themselves.

That was the case with the 2012 women's soccer team, which rallied around Anson Dorrance's wife, M'Liss, who was suffering from some health issues at the time. Ultimately, the Tar Heels claimed the program's 22nd national title. Five years later, the men's tennis team wore "Mick" patches throughout its historic 2017 season in honor of 5-year-old Mick Macholl, who passed away in December 2016 after an 18-month battle with neuroblastoma.

Those teams are only two examples. But both, along with several others, helped lead to the development of Carolina Athletics' "I Play For" campaign, which launched earlier this month.

The campaign is designed to give student-athletes and staff the opportunity to share what motivates them every day. More than 1,400 T-shirts featuring the "I Play For" logo were created and distributed. On them, there's space for participants to write what they play for – a charity, a person, an idea or maybe a cause.

"It gives us the chance to open up the discussion about what's important to you, whether it's a social issue, a medical issue or a family issue," Cunningham said. "To me, it was a way for us to channel our student-athletes and challenge them to think about it, express it and play for something other than themselves."

Student-athletes received their shirts during the 2018 Welcome Back Picnic at the Loudermilk Center for Excellence. Using Sharpies, many wrote what inspires them. Family and teammates were among the most popular answers.

Throughout the 2017-18 school year, more student-athletes' answers are planned to be revealed and detailed through a series of stories, videos and social media posts.

But the "I Play For" campaign isn't just for student-athletes. Cunningham said it also encourages staff to consider how they contribute to the success of every student-athlete.

"Whether it's 'I play for' or 'I work for,' really, the whole idea is to think about issues or causes that are greater than yourself," Cunningham said. "And I think that just inspires people to higher achievement."

Cunningham said he works for all student-athletes and to create educational opportunities for them through sports. But he plays for Alzheimer's research.

Cunningham's father, Larry, played baseball at Eastern Michigan University from 1952-54. He went on to play professionally and was also an outstanding amateur golfer. He passed away after battling Alzheimer's, a disease that left his dad with a healthy body but no memory.

"It was really frustrating for me, and for all of us, to watch that," Cunningham said. "So when I think about competition and playing, I always think of my dad and I play for his memory."

What some student-athletes and staff choose to play for might not be so personal. Some may choose a political issue. Others might select a social one. But no matter what it is, the campaign's goal remains the same.

"It's not to get into anybody's business or encourage them to go in a certain direction," Cunningham said, "but it's to have them be thoughtful about what is important to them and how can they leverage whatever position they have for the benefit of someone else."

University of North Carolina Athletics

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