As the trend has caught on, it has become linked with efforts to raise money for research on the neurodegenerative disorder ALS, or Lou Gehrigs disease. The Boston Globe, Mashable, and others have followed the nonprofit ALS Association in crediting the idea to Pete Frates, a 29-year-old former Boston College baseball player who was diagnosed with ALS in 2012.
That makes for a nice origin story, but its not quite accurate. Matt Lauers challenge, along with that of Martha Stewart and many others, predated Frates involvement and had nothing to do with ALS. Rather, it came from a dare that was circulating among a group of pro athletes, including golfer Greg Norman and motorcycle racer Jeremy McGrath. Those who declined the ice bath were compelled to give $100 to charity of the challengers choice. (Lauer donated to the Hospice of Palm Beach County.)
Watch the golfers videos and youll see the stunt was really just about getting their friends to film themselves doing something dumb for no reason. The charity part was an afterthought.
Altruism was also sometimes tacked on to a similar cold water challenge that went viral earlier this year, in which people dared one another to plunge into frigid waters. One participant, a 16-year-old Minnesota boy, dove into an icy lake and never surfaced.