July 9 – July 15

Welcome to week sixteen of the Sports Doing Good newsletter.

Many of the stories we highlight each week entail elements of team, teamwork, or sportsmanship. This week we are proud to feature an array of stories involving such elements in inspiring and compelling ways. From our first athlete story involving guides who complete triathlons with the participants they serve (taken together, our “Do-Gooders of the Week”), to a hockey player who faces a difficult history by playing for a team in a country in which his family has suffered greatly, to the reality for the first time that on the U.S. Olympic team there will be more women than men, we see how the group element lends support to goals that may be quite individualistic. Sometimes those goals are rooted in collective action, e.g. championships for the Miami Heat, LA Kings, St. Louis Cardinals, and Kentucky Wildcats, just some of the teams featured during the 20^th ESPY Awards.  “Team” was not just the idea but name of the brilliant effort that became the 1992 Dream Team and now defines USA basketball’s quadrennial effort to bring the U.S. basketball championships. Teams build a history that we embrace as fans and serve as our foundation for undying loyalty. Even if the team disappears, when it comes back (New York Cosmos) our feelings are reignited. Finally, team efforts allow for creative initiatives such as that launched by Brazilian soccer team EC Vitoria, who will update as to the progress of the social responsibility effort when they don their uniforms. Of course, in addition to these stories we again offer others that deliver a positive feeling, one of doing good, in their own ways.

A quick reminder about two administrative matters. In addition to our Sports Doing Good heading, we are now including some photos/images in each newsletter. Please make sure to allow images from Sports Doing Good to be seen by your email system. (you should see a button or link allowing you to view the images). Also, in addition to email stories, please feel free to send stories via Twitter. Our address is @sportsdoinggood.

Please continue to send along your stories. You are both our audience and our best source of stories. Our email address is sab@sportsddoinggood.com and our Twitter handle is @sportsdoinggood. Finally, if you think others would like to receive the newsletter, please feel free to forward it on or have them contact us directly at sab@sportsdoinggood.com. (If you do not want to receive the newsletter anymore you can use the Unsubscribe button at the end of the newsletter.)

So enjoy. And have a good week..

Fun Doing Good:

Deron Williams re-signs with Nets on iPad, leading several players making deals official
“…the 28-year-old point guard put finger to touch-screen, signing the deal on his iPad and tweeting a photo of the occasion, just as he’d shared his decision to stay with the Nets via Twitter on July 3. Plus, now that Williams is going to be making nearly nine figures over five years, he can afford to buy a stylus for his iPad.” http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/deron-williams-signs-nets-ipad-leading-several-players-144128208–nba.html

Highlights from the 20^th ESPYS
LeBron James, who won his first NBA title this year with the Miami Heat, was named the Male Athlete of the Year while Baylor All-American and NCAA champion Brittney Griner was honored as the Female Athlete of the Year at the 2012 ESPY Awards handed out Wednesday in Los Angeles. http://espn.go.com/espys/

Athletes Doing Good

For Blind Competitors, Partners Show the Way (“Do-Gooders of the Week”)
The toughest of the three legs of an Olympic triathlon, for a blind athlete, is generally the swim. A plunge into cold water can drown one’s alternate sensory perception. Sudden, seizing panic attacks can follow, like waves of paralyzing disorientation. Shivering fits. It is at these rare nadirs when the blind may seek an encouraging tug.  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/08/sports/guides-show-the-way-for-blind-triathletes.html?emc=eta1

Watch the Live Stream on July 14th as Ironman Triathlete Attempts World Record Run to Raise Money and Awareness for Challenged Athletes Foundation
On Saturday, July 14, 2012, Six-time Ironman Triathlete and ultrarunner Lamar Sepulveda will attempt to break the world record for miles run on a treadmill in 12 hours. Why? Well, for one, he’s turning 55 the day before and this is how ultra-marathoners and Ironman triathletes celebrate. But more importantly, Lamar and his wife Rosalind are the brains, legs, lungs and huge hearts behind the Pay It Forward Challenge which uses endurance sports to raise funds and awareness for charities and to inspire others to do so.  http://www.sportsandsocialchange.org/index.php/blog/2012/07/08/75-watch-the-live-stream-on-july-14th-as-ironman-triathlete-attempts-world-record-run-to-raise-money-and-awareness-for-challenged-athletes-foundation

A Jewish Hockey Player at History’s Indelible Crossroad
A hockey jersey hung in each player’s locker. It bore Germany’s national colors, black trimmed in red and gold. The front was emblazoned with an eagle above the word Deutschland. This would be Evan Kaufmann’s first time wearing the jersey. He removed it from the hanger and turned it around to see his family name spelled in capital letters. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/sports/a-jewish-american-hockey-player-at-historys-indelible-crossroad.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all . ESPN’s video can be found at http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=8131908.

Women outnumber men on London-bound U.S. team
The United States will send 530 athletes to the London Olympics as part of a massive team that will feature, for the first time, more women competitors than men, officials announced on Tuesday. The team will feature 269 women and 261 men competing in 25 of the 38 disciplines during the July 27-August 12 Games where the United States are expected to challenge China as the leading nation on the medals table. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/women-outnumber-men-london-bound-u-team-225048780–oly.html

Female Boxer Marlen Esparza: Going the Distance
As women’s boxing makes its long-awaited debut at the Olympics, all eyes are on Marlen Esparza, America’s best hope for the gold.  http://www.vogue.com/magazine/article/marlen-esparza-going-the-distance/#1

NBA star Raja Bell to visit India
National Basketball Association (NBA) player Raja Bell, of the Utah Jazz, will travel to India from July 12 to 17 to participate in a series of basketball events in Delhi to help grow basketball and the popularity of the NBA. Bell will be the 20th NBA/WNBA player or legend to travel to India to conduct basketball events since 2008. http://www.rediff.com/sports/report/nba-basketball-star-raja-bell-to-visit-india/20120710.htm

Events Doing Good:

The Global Peace Games for Children and Youth
PLAY SOCCER founded the Global Peace Games in 2001 to promote a global network of children and youth committed to a culture of friendship, understanding and peace. The Global Peace Games are “grass roots” soccer games that take place under the initiative of PLAY SOCCER and are organized by organizations and communities around the world. REGISTRATION FOR THE 2012 GAMES IS NOW OPEN! Please download the registration form from the link at the website. http://www.playsoccer-nonprofit.org/global-peace-games.php

Breeders’ Cup has selected Children Mending Hearts as the 2012 primary non-profit beneficiary of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships
Children Mending Hearts (CMH), founded by Lysa Heslov in 2008, is dedicated to empowering disadvantaged youth through educational and arts programs that build empathy and global citizenry. Through after school classes and arts exchange workshops, CMH actively engages US youth in global children’s causes where they can positively impact the life of another child.  http://www.breederscup.com/about/charities

A new Ecover Blue Mile for Poole Park
Poole Park together with Rockley Watersports will be the host venue for this year’s Ecover Blue Mile, Poole event which will take place on Sunday 19th August.  Poole Park lies on the shores of the largest inland saltwater lake in the UK and offers the ideal environment for you to experience watersports either for the first time or for shorter taster. As part of the nationwide Join In! Weekend, we want to invite as many people as possible to Poole Park to take part in the Ecover Blue Mile Poole event and raise some funds for WWF to help protect our rivers and seas. http://www.thebluemile.org/2012/07/08/a-new-ecover-blue-mile-for-poole-park/

Will You Play Hockey For Food?
The team at Five Hole for Food has literally taken the game to streets as they embark on their 3rd annual cross-country traveling street hockey tour to help raise food, funds and awareness for community food banks across the nation. From Newfoundland to British Columbia, FHFF organizes drop-in ball-hockey games in major cities to collect donations and create awareness for community food banks. Since its inception in 2010, FHFF has collected the equivalent of almost 70,000 pounds of food. This year’s campaign starts July 3 in St. John’s, N.L., and finishes with its premiere event, July 21 in Vancouver, B.C. http://www.sportsandsocialchange.org/index.php/blog/2012/07/07/76-will-you-play-hockey-for-food

Leagues Doing Good

Afghans launch first professional football league
Afghanistan is launching its first professional football championship with the ambitious goal of bringing peace to the war-torn country — and with teams chosen on a groundbreaking reality television show. Thousands of young Afghans have already applied to take part, with the members of each of the eight teams to be selected on the “Maidan e Sabz” (Green field) programme. http://news.yahoo.com/afghans-launch-first-professional-football-league-104243942.html

Big Hits Become Big Win For Kids At State Farm® Home Run Derby®
Some of baseball’s premier power hitters stepped to the plate tonight to support State Farm and Major League Baseball’s®  (MLB) effort to go to bat for charity, raising $615,000 during the 2012 State Farm Home Run Derby at Kauffman Stadium. Capping off a night of tape-measure long balls, Prince Fielder of the Detroit Tigers knocked-off Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays in the Championship Round to join the elite class of two-time Home Run Derby Champions. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120710&content_id=34793838&vkey=pr_mlb&c_id=mlb

Media Doing Good:

Disability in the Global Sport Arena: A Sporting Chance (book)
Sport is often at the centre of battles for rights to inclusion linked to class, race and gender, and this book explores struggles centred on disability in different cultural settings in Europe, North America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It challenges oversights and assumptions about the ‘normal’ body, and describes how individual and organizational transformations can occur through sport. The abilities of a person are recognised and placed centre stage – instead of the individual being forgotten, excluded, or placed at the margins simply because they have a disability. http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415488518/

Organizations Doing Good:

UNOSDP Releases Annual Report 2011 entitled “Ten Years of Action”
The United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP) released today their Annual Report 2011. The report presents the main activities conducted by the UN Special Adviser and Office on Sport for Development and Peace in 2011 in the areas of policy work (Chapter One), partnership building and coordination (Chapter Two) and project support and implementation (Chapter Three). 2011 was actually an anniversary year, with the mandate of the Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace having been created in 2001. https://www.un.org/wcm/webdav/site/sport/shared/sport/pdfs/Reports/UNOSDP_Annual-Report_2011_FINAL_web_single-pages.pdf

SportAccord’s Social Responsibility Map
The Sports’ Social Responsibility Map brings together all the social responsibility programmes and policies of SportAccord members. The aim of the map is to showcase initiatives, share knowledge, inspire and learn about sport’s contribution to child and youth development, the environment, gender, health, persons with disabilities, peace and the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.  http://www.sportaccord.com/en/news/index.php?idContent=15476

Hoops for Troops: Stars coach boys and girls at Nellis clinic
Ten-year-old Ferious Nieves held a basketball under his arm Tuesday while he looked up at 6-foot-8 retired NBA star Spencer Haywood, waiting patiently for his autograph. “It was fun,” said Nieves, the son of Tech. Sgt. Jason Nieves, and one of 100 children of Nellis airmen who participated in the USA Basketball Hoops for Troops clinic at the base’s 3-month-old Warrior Fitness Center. http://www.lvrj.com/news/hoops-for-troops-stars-coach-boys-girls-at-nellis-clinic-162013095.html

Warrick Dunn Charities Announces the Launch of Its New Program Betty’s Hope, a Children’s Bereavement Program Serving Baton Rouge
Betty’s Hope is a children’s bereavement program that will serve the East Baton Rouge parish in the state of Louisiana. The program, part of Warrick Dunn Charities, was created in 2012 to bring the issue of unresolved grief to the forefront in the movement to support young people and their mental wellness. The program’s mission is to “empower youth to manage grief in a responsive environment to heal and enhance their quality of life.” http://wdc.org/bettyshope.php

People Doing Good:

Investing in Soccer, but Not for a Profit
In San Antonio, Gordon Hartman, a former real estate developer who retired at 41, is a millionaire many times over. But for him, soccer is not merely about trying to put more money in his pocket. Hartman sees the sport as part of a larger mission he calls Soccer for a Cause. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/08/sports/soccer/investing-in-soccer-but-not-for-a-profit.html?emc=eta1

Jerry Colangelo’s Leadership Helps USA Basketball Reach New Heights
On November 12, 2008, Jerry Colangelo was named the chairman of USA Basketball’s board of directors, after serving the organization as its managing director since 2005.  This task put the responsibility of fundraising the bulk of the organization’s $35 million operating expenses on Colangelo’s shoulders.  http://www.forbes.com/sites/aliciajessop/2012/07/05/jerry-colangelos-leadership-helps-usa-basketball-reach-new-marketing-heights/

Top Surf Town hosts Surfers Healing and Children with Autism
One of the world’s 20 best surf towns (National Geographic, 2012) will host Surf Gala 2012 and Surfers Healing, an international surf camp for children with autism, Aug. 19-20. On Monday, Aug. 20, 200 families from across the United States are visiting Wrightsville Beach to witness the miracle of Surfers Healing, an international surf camp for kids with autism. http://www.ncpressrelease.com/surfers-healing-wrightsville-beach-2012/

Teams Doing Good

Cosmos to Play in N.A.S.L. in ’13
The New York Cosmos, such as they are, are back. The club will play in the North American Soccer League, such as it is. The rest is merely another strange chapter in the storied and tortured history of soccer in the United States. http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/12/cosmos-to-play-in-n-a-s-l-in-13/?ref=sports

Liverpool to be first Premier League club represented at official LGBT event
Liverpool FC will become the first Premier League club to be officially represented in a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) event in Britain when a banner featuring its crest is carried by club staff and members of the women’s team at next month’s Liverpool Pride. Ian Ayre, Liverpool’s managing director, said the club’s involvement underlines its determination to rid football of homophobia. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jul/11/liverpool-premier-league-club-lgbt?newsfeed=true

Brazilian Soccer Team Asks Super Fans to Show Their Support in Blood
The Brazilian soccer team EC Vitória’s red and black-striped jerseys are as integral to the team’s identity as the Yankees’ pinstripes. (The team’s nickname is the “Rubro-negro,” or “Red and Blacks,” after all.) But this season, fans looking on from the bleachers may be a little confused to see white gaps where the red part of the equation used to lie. The change, however, has little to do with rebranding the team’s image and everything to do with promoting a good cause. http://tinyurl.com/cmk6luz

Silver Stars fans and dog lovers enjoy a night just for them
For the San Antonio Silver Stars’ “Hoops & Hounds” game, basketball fans were encouraged to bring their four legged friends for a unique viewing experience. The theme night was also held to raise awareness for pet adoption organizations in San Antonio. http://www.wnba.com/silverstars/multimedia/120701_hounds.html