Tom Grossi: 30 in 30

7/31/2023

Youtuber/Packers superfan Tom Grossi is known for his enthusiastic reactions and passionate game coverage on his youtube show “Packast”. Fans are familiar with the image of Grossi streaming from his Packer memorabilia covered studio, but this month, Grossi has left his home to pursue something greater. Grossi announced his “30 in 30” project, a video series that will follow him travelling to all 30 NFL stadiums around the country. From both video revenue and by donations, he is aiming to raise $100,000 for St Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

St Jude has come to public light over the past decades. St Jude is dedicated to finding and distributing the knowledge of breakthroughs in childhood cancer cures and reasearch. They share their findings with health centers all over the world with the lofty goal of one day erraticting childhood cancer altogether. When beginning operations in 1962, childhood cancer was regarded as uncurable. However in recent years they have increased the survival rate from 20% to 80%. St Jude also insures that all of its patients’ familes do not spend even a single dime for the treatment they receive. However for such provisions, they rely on donations. Being such a proven successful organization, it is clear why Grossi chose to partner with them.

Grossi spent two tireless months coordinating and planning the tour. He even reached out to the NFL and they provided organized tours for many of the stadiums. In just his first video at Green Bay’s Lambeau Field, the tour raised $51,000, already over half the projected goal. In Grossi’s video he received a tour through the Packer’s facility but more significantly had a fan meetup with locals. He would follow that same framework for most of his videos, some lacked an organized tour but the there was always a fan meetup. The meetups provided a space for the community to connect and socialize. It also showed viewers the human and cultural element of all these cities. 

Grossi already began partaking in philanthropy last year, raising $102,000 for various organizations. His plans to work with St jude however he felt a larger and dedicated project was fitting. Grossi had worked with a similar organization, Sunshine Kids Foundation, which collected funds to pay for children’s cancer treatments. Grossi hosted an 8 hour stream to cumulate the grand donation. However he marveled at the scale and nature of 30 in 30, describing it as “the biggest thing that I have ever done. Not just in terms of scope, but just in terms of trying to do it, because the logistics are so crazy.”

Funds pour in even in the earliest parts of the tour. The operation received aid from T shirt company 26 Shirts, pledging to make a 5 dollar donation for each shirt sold. Grossi following the first few videos foresaw the they would pass $100,000 fairly quickly. He would take to social media to share the “30 in 30 incentives”. Some of the incentives were Tom participating in the famous Buffalo table jump, eating the hottest hot sauce in Kansas City and spending a night in a haunted New Orleans Hotel. 

Grossi emphasized how the most profound moments of the tour were the fan meetups, “To come out here and to have 40-50 people show up during a work day or at night at a random local business to help support them has been incredibly surreal and humbling, and just getting to hear people's stories, and people have driven over four hours to be here and be a part of this, I think it really just speaks to the community.”

Tom Grossi’s 30 in 30 tour embodies how football is much more than a game. Grossi’s videos showed footballs power to unite and create close knit communities. He described Buffalo as having “the small town feel, it's the parking in people's driveways, it's tailgating in people's houses. That's what I love”. The philanthropic and charitable spirit that football players, fans, and organzations have seem to be permiating through every level and faset of the sport. Operations like Grossi’s bolster and create a culture where people help people, making more view charity as an obligation instead of something brushed aside for others to do.

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Works Cited

Johnson, Matt. "NFL YouTuber Tom Grossi's 30 in 30 fundraiser raises over $300,000 for St Jude Children's Research Hospital." Sportsnaut.com, 25 June 2023, sportsnaut.com/tom-grossi-30-in-30-st-jude-fundraiser/.

Wilson, Brayton J. "26 Shirts partners with NFL YouTuber for '30-in-30' initiative." Audacy, 2 June 2023, www.audacy.com/wben/news/local/26-shirts-partners-with-nfl-youtuber-for-30-in-30-initiative.