Celebrity Tournaments

About Celebrity Tournaments

Unfortunately, there is no shortage of people in need in the United States and around the world. In order to bring more attention to the charities that are dedicated to helping the less fortunate, celebrities are tapped to participate in various tournaments.

Celebrity Golf Tournaments

Michael Jordan hosts a yearly celebrity golf tournament

The Bob Hope Classic Golf Tournament – Sponsored by Chrysler in 2007 (making it the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic Golf Tournament), this nearly 50 year tournament takes place over a period of five days at various locations. Celebrity appearances in the 2007 tournament hosted by comedian George Lopez included: Don Cheadle, Alice Cooper, Oscar de la Hoya, Andy Garcia, Samuel L. Jackson and Mark Wahlberg. Justin Timberlake is slated to host the 2008 tournament. This tournament has raised over $44 million dollars for charity to date.

The American Celebrity Century Tournament – Another popular golf tournament, participants include all-star athletes like Brandy Chastain, John Elway, Michael Jordan, Marshall Faulk and Mario Lemieux as well as actors such as Ray Romano, Kevin Nealon and Don Cheadle. This tournament chooses a charity each year for which the proceeds will be donated. The 2007 charity was The Lance Armstrong Foundation.

AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Golf Tournament – This tournament has been around for over 75 years and supports hundreds of local and national charities. Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood, George Lopez and Andy Garcia are among the celebrities slated to tee-off in 2008.

Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational – Benefiting charities such as Ronald McDonald Houses of North Carolina and the James Jordan foundation, among many others, this basketball legend's golf tournament has included actors Michael Douglas, Alan Thicke and sports superstars Tom Brady, Mia Hamm, Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.

Celebrity Poker Tournaments

Mark Wahlberg participates in various celebrity tournaments

The Comedy Festival's Charity Poker Tournament – For a $15,000 buy-in, celebrities such as Mark Wahlberg, Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams and Jeremy Piven ante'd up in 2006 to benefit the Los Angeles Children's Hospital.

The World Series of Poker Celebrity Charity Poker Tournament – This tournament was named "Ante up for Africa" to benefit the overwhelming social, economic and humanitarian crises in Darfur, Africa in 2007. Celebrities that participated in this $5,000 buy-in tournament included: Jennifer Tilly, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, George Clooney, Adam Sandler and James Woods.

Legends Celebrity Poker Tournament – This "invitation-only" event has hosted celebrities like Josh Duhamel, Britney Spears, Kate Walsh and Allison Janney in the past.

Other Celebrity Tournaments

Jane Seymour fishes for Cystic Fibrosis

Although golf and poker tournaments are by far the most popular with the celebrities, there are a few other celebrity tournaments that deserve mentioning.

Mercury Redbone Celebrity Tournament Series – Gary Ellis and his wife Susan started this charity fishing event around 15 years ago to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. This a catch-and-release tournament has welcomed such stars as Jane Seymour, Laurence Fishburne and Lauren Hutton.

Celebrity Jeopardy! – Celebrity contestants for this long-running T.V. game show donate their winnings to charities of their choice. Celebrities that have tested their smarts on the show in the past include: Regis Philbin, Susan Lucci, Neal Patrick Harris, James Denton, Dana Delaney and Ashton Kutcher.

Charitable Celebrities

Tournaments are not the only way in which celebrities donate their time and money. Check out Forbes magazine's list of the most generous celebrities:

• Bono – The lead singer for U2 supports over 20 different charities and was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for his work.
• Sandra Bullock – After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Bullock donated $1 million of her own money to the American Red Cross and after the horrific 2004 southeast Asian Tsunami, the actress dug deep in her pockets again with a $1 million donation.
• Nicolas Cage – This big-hearted actor donated $1 million toward clean up and relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina.
• Celine Dion – This songbird donated $1 million to the Hurricane Katrina Relief efforts.
• Angelina Jolie – Jolie has donated over $3 million dollars to various charities over the years.
• Paul McCartney – Sir Paul donated a whopping $1.9 million to the southeast Asian 2004 tsunami relief efforts.
• Arnold Schwarzenegger – Has donated an estimated $4.1 million to charity.
• Steven Spielberg – Not only did this talented director donate a portion of the proceeds from his blockbuster hit Schindler's List, he has also given $1.5 million to Katrina relief and $1.5 million to the 2004 southeast Asian tsunami relief efforts.
• Oprah Winfrey – Is there no end to this woman's giving? Let's hope not. In 2005, the "Queen of Talk" donated a staggering $52 million to charity.

It's nice to know that many celebrities are willing to give their time, money and efforts toward worthy causes. Hopefully, many more celebrities will follow their lead, because there will, unfortunately, never be a shortage of people in need across the globe.