SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Former professional football stars Kyle Turley and Dorsey Levens are tackling football’s concussion issue through music and a documentary film respectively. In an effort to raise awareness and financial resources their respective projects, they are the first professional athletes to use Indiegogo’s innovative crowdfunding platform.
Turley is using Indiegogo.com to support his upcoming country music album, “Skull Shaker,” and to assist his tour to spread awareness of the long-term effects of concussions. As an independent artist, he is turning to crowdfunding to deeply engage with fans.
Levens has chosen crowdfunding to engage sports fans in the creation of his documentary “Bell Rung,” which paints a vivid warning of the effects of repeated head trauma. By offering fans personalized memorabilia and one-of-a-kind experiences, Levens and his team are confident his fan base will share in spreading the film’s urgent message. Funds gathered through the Indiegogo platform will be used to produce a more powerful and compelling film for viewers.
“Indiegogo offers a new channel for athletes to both fund what’s meaningful to them and bring to light important issues in today’s society,” says Adam Chapnick, Principal at Indiegogo. “We’re excited to provide them the platform to tackle this topic.”
Crowdfunding is the collective effort of individuals who network and pool their money to support efforts initiated by other people or organizations. In 2011, crowdfunding platforms raised an estimated $1.5 billion worldwide. In 2013 that number is projected to exceed $5.1 billion. Indiegogo has established itself as an industry leader by raising millions of dollars a week for campaigns across 24 categories. For example, through Indiegogo the HONY & Tumblr Hurricane Sandy Fundraiser generated three times their original goal, resulting in nearly $320,000 for the victims of Hurricane Sandy.
Turley was a two-time All-Pro offensive tackle who played for New Orleans, St. Louis and Kansas City. Now, Turley is a country musician living in Nashville. All proceeds from his single “Fortune and Pain” have been going to the Gridiron Greats Association Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing support for retired NFL players in need. With his new album, Turley will continue to be a prominent voice in the fight to raise concussion awareness throughout the sport of football.
“The goal of this campaign is to continue to expand my community outreach for the betterment of the game of football and it's fans,” said Turley. “Concussions are a reality of the game and education is the key to defeat many of the long term consequences. My music is my story, football is America’s pastime and I intend to defend her and the great men who have graced her fields past, present and future.”
Levens won it all with Green Bay in 1996 and since his retirement has become a strong advocate for concussion awareness and proponent for lifetime health insurance for professional football players of all ages. His documentary is currently 48 minutes, and he wants to expand it to 90 minutes in order to include some critical features on former athletes dealing with the debilitating affects of repeated head trauma.
“There is no quick fix for this. It’s going to take some time to get the technology right, get the proper doctors educated, get the information out there to the players,” said Levens “but it’s all a step in the right direction.”
For more information or to contribute to the campaigns visit Dorsey Levens’ HERE and Kyle Turley’s HERE.
About Indiegogo
Indiegogo empowers people around the world to fund what matters to them. As the largest global crowdfunding platform, campaigns have launched from every country around the world with millions of dollars being distributed every week due to contributions made by the Indiegogo community. At its core, Indiegogo is the equal opportunity platform dedicated to democratizing the way people raise funds for any project—creative, entrepreneurial or cause-related. The company was launched in 2008 and is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in Los Angeles and New York. For more information on Indiegogo, please visit www.indiegogo.com.