TEMPE, Ariz. — It was not a bad weekend at the office for the Arizona Cardinals rookies who had the opportunity to get involved in their community for the first time since landing in the Valley by coaching up athletes from Mikey's League and Special Olympics Arizona at an adaptive football skills camp.
“It's awesome. I mean, we're waiting to get connected in the community. It's a new area, so events like this are a big deal for us. And you know, especially as rookies, it's a lot of fun,” Cardinals tight end Tip Reiman said. “I hope [the athletes] take away that any heroes they might have are regular people too.”
Cardinals players like Marvin Harrison Jr., Darius Robinson, and Dadrion “Rabbit” Taylor-Demerson, threw passes and ran drills with dozens of local youth and young adults at the team’s practice facility in Tempe. The Cardinals hosted a similar camp with Mikey’s League in 2022.
“Through my time with Special Olympics, I've been through a lot of these events but this one is by far one of the better ones,” Ben Wrubel, Director of Programs for Special Olympics Arizona said. “The Cardinals are so engaging, and they do such great work with our Special Olympics athletes.”
The Cardinals continue their offseason workouts this week with minicamp.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to four major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events every year, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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