Sports Doing Good Newsletter, #28

Oct. 1 – Oct. 7, 2012

Welcome to week twenty-eight of the Sports Doing Good newsletter.

Teammates are a wonderful part of sports. They are there to support us in good times and bad. They impress us with their feats in the field of play. They motivate and inspire us. They are just a joy to be around.

This week we lead off with three stories involving teammates in amateur sports. As you will see in these stories and the rest that follow, working together or on behalf of others is a special part of sports. Because of “them,” we strive to play better, to deliver more hope to others, raise more money for deserving individuals and organization, and bring more attention to noble causes. We applaud all of the athletes and individuals in this week’s newsletter who in their own way, exemplify the beauty of working together and for each other.

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.

Soccer Teammates Exert “Positive Peer Pressure” – We are all Daniel Cui
After freshman goalie Daniel Cui became the scapegoat for a losing season, the whole high school rallied to defend him. More than 100 students changed their profile pictures to a photo of Cui making a save and with newfound confidence, Cui returned the next season to play the game of his life and lead his team to a win.
Video: http://youtu.be/rpOvYWd4KW4

Youngster scores outrageous ‘rainbow flick’ wondergoal
15-year-old Aleksandr Litvinenko, feted as one of his country’s brightest prospects, flicked the ball from behind over his head, before unleashing a volley from 25 yards that left the goalkeeper without a chance of making a save.
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/world-of-sport/youngster-scores-outrageous-rainbow-flick-wondergoal-121113733.html
Video: http://youtu.be/TFOKqJgs3ik

Kid Executes Epic Gymnastics Move During Gym Class Dodge Ball Game
For many high schoolers, the mere mention of dodge ball brings a feeling of either excitement or downright fear. People who are good at the game find it to be a real treat, and one kid in a new hit YouTube video may have just mastered the perfect dodge ball move. http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/trending-now/kid-executes-epic-gymnastics-move-during-gym-glass-192116677.html
Video: http://youtu.be/uDC5-eV6QaA

Everlast Launches Multi-Tiered Marketing Campaign To Support Breast Cancer Research
Champion Everlast athletes including Andre Ward, Reggie Bush and Cara Castronuova will be featured in digital and social media advertising communications and many Everlast fighters will be strapping on pink gloves as they enter the ring and cage during October in order to show support for the cause.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/everlast-launches-multi-tiered-marketing-171700644.html

Phil Mickelson to take $1 million shot for charity
The winner will be First Book, an organization that provides books for children. If Mickelson hits a green target the organization will get $50,000 (20,000 books). If Mickelson is more accurate the charity could receive up to $100,000 (40,000 books) and if he hits the bulls-eye it will mean $1 million (400,000 books). http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2012/10/05/phil-mickelson-charity-shot-san-diego-chargers-nfl/1614691/

Games golden girl Ennis named European athlete of 2012
Olympic heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis has been named the women’s European athlete of 201. Briton Ennis, whose image adorned posters promoting the London Games, fell narrowly short of the 7,000 point barrier while claiming the gold medal.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/04/us-athletics-britain-ennis-idUSBRE8930SZ20121004

Credit: Reuters/Dan Kitwood/Pool

Bieksa’s Buddies to lace ’em on in charity game with Thunderbirds
“We understand there are many people [affected] by the NHL lockout and we know charities such as Canuck Place Children’s Hospice, Canucks Family Education Centre, and Canucks Autism Network need funds to continue operating their programs,” Bieksa said in a news release.
http://www.faceoff.com/sports/hockey/vancouver-canucks/Bieksa+Buddies+lace+charity+game+with/7339039/story.html

Photo caption – Locked out Vancouver Canucks players, known as (Kevin) Bieksa’s Buddies, will face off in a charity game against the Thunderbirds on Wednesday, Oct. 17, at Doug Mitchell Sports Centre at UBC. Photograph by: Steve Bosch, Vancouver Sun files

U.S. Ryder Cup team donates $2.6M to charity
The U.S. Ryder Cup team, as well as captain Davis Love III, will donate a combined $2.6 million to designated charities and various grow-the-game initiatives through the PGA of America’s Ryder Cup Outreach Program. http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golftalkcentral/u.s.-ryder-cup-team-donates-2.6m-to-charity/

Colts will get CHUCKSTRONG to support Chuck Pagano and leukemia research
#CHUCKSTRONG is already a popular hashtag on Twitter, but the campaign of support for Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano is about to get a lot more visible.
http://www.newspress.me/sports/colts-will-get-chuckstrong-to-support-chuck-pagano-and-leukemia-research

Ping Pong Paix triumphs at International Sports Marketing 360 Awards               
“The project, carried out in partnership with CSR initiative Peace and Sport, the German Table Tennis Federation and table tennis equipment manufacturer Butterfly, enables members of four youth centres in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo to play table tennis at least twice a week in a structured and supervised environment. The mission is to support the demobilisation of child soldiers and bring together children from different villages with tribal and ethnic conflicts.” http://www.sportbusiness.com/news/186386/ping-pong-paix-triumphs-at-international-sports-marketing-360-awards

MLS Promotes Respect for Others with “Don’t Cross the Line” Campaign
Major League Soccer is committed to supporting the communities where we live and play our games, and to providing an environment in which our staff, clubs, players, partners and supporters are treated with dignity and respect. We will not tolerate discrimination, bias, prejudice or harassment of any kind.
Video: http://youtu.be/aHmTvpmLFKA

FIFA 13 Sells 4.5 Million in 5 Days; Biggest video game launch of 2012 so far and biggest sports game launch of all time.
EA has announced that 4.5 million copies of FIFA Soccer 13 were sold in the game’s first five days on sale. According to EA, that not only gives FIFA the biggest launch so far in 2012, but makes it the biggest sports video game launch of all time. http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/10/03/fifa-13-sells-45-million-in-5-days

Chicago Cubs President Theo Epstein, Sun Life Financial Recognize Chicago Nonprofits and Exceptional High School Seniors as Sun Life Rising Stars
The Sun Life Rising Star Awards program recognizes nonprofits that redress low high school graduation rates and outstanding students who have overcome significant obstacles to succeed. The program also promotes financial literacy as a means to achieve life-long financial wellness and stability.
http://www.sunlife.com/us/Media+center/Press+releases/2012/Chicago+Cubs+Baseball+Operations+President+Theo+Epstein+Sun+Life+Financial+Recognize+Chicago+Nonprofits+and+Exceptional+High+School+Seniors+as+Sun+Life+Rising+Stars?vgnLocale=en_CA

TrackTown12 Achieves Gold ReSport Certification
“Organizers of 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials – Track & Field set a new standard for social and environmental responsibility at a multi-day event; will aim even higher next time.”
http://www.gotracktownusa.com/News/Details/tracktown12-achieves-gold-resport-certification/

Green Bay Packer Greg Jennings and The Omanhene Cocoa Bean Company Announce Scholarship Program
The Jennings/Omanhene Faces of America scholarship program is made possible with local support from the AFS Foundation of Greater Milwaukee. The Milwaukee youth involved in this program will be referred to AFS USA by Lake Valley Camp, a nonprofit organization that serves youth living in Milwaukee’s most underserved communities.
http://www.i-newswire.com/green-bay-packer-greg-jennings/197305

ESPN’s Outside the Lines: Praying Not Playing
Football players Husain and Hamza Abdullah are taking the year off from the NFL to make a pilgrimage to Mecca and connect with fellow Muslims around the country.
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=8432250

Epilepsy Therapy Project Assembles Dedicated Team of Athletes to Run in Upcoming U.S. City Marathons to Support New Therapies for Epilepsy
The Epilepsy Therapy Project (ETP), a non-profit organization whose mission is to accelerate new therapies for people living with epilepsy and seizures announced the assembly of Team ETP, a committed team of athletes running this fall in four major U.S. city marathons to raise funds in support of its mission.
http://www.kxxv.com/story/19743741/epilepsy-therapy-project-assembles-dedicated-team-of-athletes-to-run-in-upcoming-us-city-marathons-to-support-new-therapies-for-epilepsy

Rebecca Adlington takes part in ‘Bike for Africa’ charity
Great Britain’s most successful swimmer, with two Olympic golds and two bronzes, is swapping the pool for pedals, joining fellow London Olympians Joanne Jackson and Ross Davenport in a bid to cycle 280 miles across Zambia. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/swimming/19831712