As wildfires continue to wreak havoc across the Los Angeles area, all 12 professional sports organizations in L.A. and Orange County -- Angel City FC, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Anaheim Ducks, LA Galaxy, Los Angeles Kings, LAFC, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Sparks -- have pledged a combined donation of more than $8 million to support victims in need. The teams are also helping their community through their own foundations and partnerships.
According to CBS News, fires have killed at least 24 people and torched around 60 square miles. Roughly 12,000 structures have been burned with thousands more in jeopardy of being destroyed.
Many Los Angeles residents have fled their homes and lost everything to the fires. In a statement, Chargers owner Dean Spanos said the difficult circumstances have brought out the best in people.
"While we're currently experiencing unprecedented conditions that seemingly cannot get any worse as we deal with multiple fires across our region, we're also witnessing our community at its very best. The bravery, selflessness, courage, sacrifice and compassion on display over the past 24 hours by first responders, good Samaritans, friends, family and neighbors alike has been remarkable. Our hearts are with everyone who has been displaced by these fires, the firemen and police officers and frontline workers who are risking their lives to keep us safe and those among us who have stepped up to assist one another in this incredible time of need."
The contributions from the 12 teams will help organizations such as the American Red Cross, Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, California Fire Foundation, Eaton Canyon Fire Relief and many others.
The teams also partnered with Fanatics and the Fanatics Foundation to distribute $3 million worth of merchandise to those who had to evacuate their homes. In addition, there will be distribution events at Dodger Stadium, SoFi Stadium and BMO Stadium on Friday, where teams' community partners will hand out items such as personal hygiene kits, school supplies, sneakers and more.
The Los Angeles Rams were originally going to host the Minnesota Vikings at SoFi Stadium on Monday night, but their game was moved to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
"There's some things bigger than football, and we owe this to our community to make sure that this game can be played safely and not be a distraction," Rams team president Kevin Demof said. "Heaven forbid a single home or car, or God forbid, a human life was lost because some asset was diverted to SoFi Stadium."
College programs have also been affected. The UCLA women's basketball team moved its Jan. 15 game against Penn State to the Walter Pyramid on Long Beach State's campus. Meanwhile, Loyola Marymount has postponed men's and women's basketball games since last Thursday.
