Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ wide receiver Mike Evans played against top “Madden NFL” video game player Shay “Young Kiv” Kivlen Monday afternoon in a video game fundraiser for the families of victims of the Jacksonville mass shooting.
It was an honor bro. And thanks for the beating good wake up call for me gotta step my game up lol. God Bless https://t.co/cf4rMs3KeP
— Mike Evans (@MikeEvans13_) September 3, 2018
Exactly one week since the tragedy, Kivlen, one of the shooting survivors, picked up his controller for the first time at 2:30 p.m. in remembrance of his friends who were murdered.
Organized by Parkland shooting survivor turned gun-control advocate Cameron Kasky, the game was live-streamed in honor of Eli “TrueBoy” Clayton and Taylor “SpotMePlzzz” Robertson, who were both killed in the attack.
“I heard about what happened and my heart sunk. There was a gaping hole in my heart. I immediately started reaching out to survivors so I could help to the best of my ability,” Kasky told me via email. “I have been lucky to get to know many of them and even consider them friends. While it is a shame, we need to meet through common tragedy. It is inspiring to see how we connected to fundraise for the 2 lives that were tragically lost.”
“Mike Evans is perfect for this and he jumped at the opportunity before we were even able to finish the description,” Kasky continued. “This live stream is beautiful because it’s not about politics. Its about [remembering] the lives of those who were lost and raising money using their favorite thing to do, gaming.”
Since surviving the Parkland shooting, Kasky has been particularly active in lobbying for gun control, but says he’s putting politics aside for the fundraiser.
Since the shooting, he’s raised more than $50,000 on a GoFundMe that he says will go directly to the deceased’s families. Monday’s game alone generated more than $4,500.
While Kasky has been busy rallying support for his political agenda, Kivlen said he’s not sure yet if he’s interested to get involved in politics, but that he believes anyone with a platform should use it for positive change.
“When you reach a big audience and people are inspired by you, it’s your right to project your opinions and your beliefs on your fans,” Kivlen told me in a phone interview. “Not everyone’s right, but they have good intentions and if they want to speak up after stuff like this they could, and they should. I think it’s good when they speak up and bring light to what’s wrong in today’s culture and politics.”
Since the tragedy, some have claimed dangerous video games are to blame for the shooting.
“I don’t agree with that at all,” Kivlen said. “Some communities online you can get a toxic environment, but a lot of us are ex-high-school or college athletes. There’s trash talk involved and it’s common, but it never gets to a personal level. Many of us play and hate each other then get dinner that same night.”
Kivlen said he’s excited to return to “Madden,” now having faced off against one of his favorite football players in real life. Interested viewers can a watch rerun of the game here and donate here.
William Nardi (@williamznardi) is a contributor to Red Alert Politics. He is a student at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and a former intern for the Washington Examiner.
