Anquan Boldin visited an Oxfam project in Senegal in 2013. Photo: Audra Melton/Oxfam America

Oxfam supporters are prominent at this year’s big game.

Whether you are a huge football fan or not, Super Bowl weekend is probably a bit of a big deal to you. Maybe you’re having friends over to watch, or you’re part of the office pool, or maybe it’s just a fun reason to break out that seven-layer nacho dip recipe you’ve wanted to try.

For us at Oxfam, Super Bowl weekend this year is even bigger than ever. For starters, Oxfam America Ambassador Anquan Boldin is a finalist for the annual Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, which recognizes an NFL player for his excellence on and off the field. Each team nominates one player who has had a significant positive impact on his community, and Anquan is the representative from the San Francisco 49ers. In addition to work with his own foundation which issues sizable scholarships to students in the Bay Area and his home region in Florida, Anquan has traveled to Ethiopia and Senegal with Oxfam America, and has testified in Washington before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs regarding Oxfam’s work to end injustices in the gold mining industry. “It’s not only people in the US that have problems. People have problems everywhere. I don’t think you should limit where you help,” Anquan has said. The Payton Award winner will be announced the night before the big game, and we’ll have our fingers crossed.

And on Super Bowl Sunday, aside from what looks like an incredible matchup for the game, Oxfam Global Ambassadors Coldplay are headlining the Super Bowl’s always-anticipated halftime show. As longtime advocates of Oxfam’s work, the band members are perhaps our most visible public figure supporters. From helping to raise the profile of Oxfam’s Fair Trade campaigns, advocating for the support of our response after earthquakes and tsunamis, visiting Oxfam’s projects around the world, and allowing our volunteers a place to reach out to music fans at their sold-out concerts, Coldplay’s work with Oxfam has always been meaningful.

So, yes, the game should be a great one, but what will make this Super Bowl even more super for us, is the fact that behind the touchdowns and hoopla are some deeply committed social justice activists who help us get good work done. That’s a big win for everyone.

Want to join Anquan, Coldplay, and hundreds of thousands of other like-minded supporters of Oxfam’s work? Take a moment and join our community right now, and we’ll show you how to help us create lasting solutions to poverty, hunger, and social injustice.