Take one word that is not so fun, “debt”, another that is somewhat innocuous, “ceiling”, put them together and you have the most annoying phrase of 2011. (C’mon Congress, get your act together!!)

No matter the result of negotiations in Washington, what is clear is that sacrifice, often known as cutbacks, are going to be the norm in many sectors of our society. Some of those sectors involve service to our society. Programs that have been established to support individuals and communities in areas such as health, food and nutrition, education, and yes, sports, are in some cases going to disappear and in others, scaled back. What are we to do?

We came across an organization, Project GOAL, that is answering that question. Along with many others in the sport and development area, Project GOAL is filling a gap created by a lack of resources. And in light of the overall economic malaise we are in, it will be efforts like Project GOAL that must step up to provide services that many of us took for granted when we were younger. To watch a documentary short on Project GOAL, please see below.

We have covered programs like Project GOAL involving boxing, cricket, squash, basketball, and of course, soccer, that give kids a place to play, mentors to work with, and an opportunity to meet peers who otherwise would not be in their sphere of influence.  So it is clear that companies and individuals have stepped up to bring awareness and much needed dollars to these efforts and organizations, and a host of others. But more will need to be done.

This posting is not to sound an alarm, but rather to give a heads up. All that has gotten the country to a point where “debt ceiling” is the top trending topic on almost every search engine does not ignore the world of sports. Things will get harder. But I am confident about our collective ability to deal with this new reality. That confidence comes from the fact that we are dealing with individuals, companies, and organizations who believe in sports. And they will do what is common in sports. That is, they will adjust, they will find new ways to confront an opponent, and they will continue to strive for success. Because for all of those involved in sport and development, there is no ceiling on that goal.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoVopP0PE64]