A fan has won the chance to have dinner, or work out, with NFL superstar Tom Brady as well as a pack of Tampa Bay Buccaneers opening game tickets and memorabilia after a making winning bid of $800,000 at a fundraising auction.
The auction reached the top bid on Tuesday as part of a series of celebrity and athlete offerings in the 'All In Challenge' fundraiser to help feed those in need during the coronavirus pandemic.
Also included in the auction collection is Brady's game jersey and cleats from his first game for Tampa Bay. Brady has signed with the Buccaneers after 20 years and six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots.
Other auction items include a round of golf and dinner with twice NFL Super Bowl winner Peyton Manning, which attracted a $525,000 bid, and a day of activities with Hall of Fame basketball great Magic Johnson that had a high bid of nearly $100,000.
The identities of the leading bidders were not immediately available.
Fanatics Executive Chairman Michael Rubin, who initiated the auctions and sweepstakes prizes through the popular sportswear retailer, said he drew on the popular Ice Bucket Challenge to benefit ALS research when he initiated the auctions.
Rubin, a co-owner of NBA team the Philadelphia 76ers, said he approached Brady and Manning before launching the auctions and sweepstakes and they were immediately on board.
"The country misses their sports and the country misses their athletes," said Rubin, reflecting on the popularity of the sports prizes offered through the auction, which raised $21.5 million in 13 days.
"We have a responsibility to make a real difference."
Other top items include Rapper Meek Mill's Rolls Royce Phantom, which had a top bid of $320,000 on Tuesday, and a sweepstakes prize from Novak Djokovic that includes playing with the 17-time Grand Slam tennis champion and signed merchandise.
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The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
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Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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