March 17-23, 2013

Welcome to week fifty-one of the Sports Doing Good newsletter.

Some people say this is the best time of the year for sports. With March Madness leading the way, we have numerous instances of near-upsets and of course, actual upsets, great shots, dramatic endings, and incredible teamwork. The NBA and the NHL, the World Baseball Classic, and so many other pro and amateur sports contribute to this golden period of enjoyment of sports. We are proud to complement all of the great action on the field of play with a number of stories highlighting great work off of it at Sports Doing Good.

Please continue to send along your stories. You are both our audience and our best source of stories. Our Twitter handle is @sportsdoinggood, and you can find us at www.facebook.com/sportsdoinggood.

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So enjoy. And have a good week.

SportAccord highlights the power of sport to erase discrimination at Securing Sport 2013
The role of sport and importance of awareness, prevention and education in fighting prejudice has been emphasised at Securing Sport 2013 in Doha.
http://www.sportanddev.org/en/newsnviews/news/?5458%2F1%2FSportAccord-highlights-the-power-of-sport-to-erase-discrimination-at-Securing-Sport-2013The Panel ‘Leveling the Playing Field: The Power of Sport to Erase Discrimination’, Securing Sport 2013

The Sports World Flocks to MIT: How the Games Are Smartening Up
Financial services companies, consumer products companies – they’ve all been analyzing data to make decisions for years.” Every year at the Sloan conference, the message becomes clearer. If you want to make it in sports — off the field — start crunching numbers.
http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2013/03/01/the-sports-world-flocks-to-mit-how-the-games-are-smartening-up/#ixzz2O0lyJHtb
World Baseball Classic grows baseball globally with record-setting 2013 tournament
New highs achieved for attendance, television viewership, merchandise sales, sponsorship and social media activity; Championship Game is most-watched sporting event in Dominican Republic in at least the past ten years.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130321&content_id=43072146&vkey=pr_mlb&c_id=mlb

World Baseball Classic: Japanese may offer friendly backing to Taiwan
Japanese baseball fans attending Friday’s World Baseball Classic game in Tokyo between Taiwan and Japan have been asked to also support Taiwan to thank the country for its help after natural disasters ravaged Honshu in March 2011.
http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aALL&ID=201303080019

Nike and TechStars Betting Big on Gamification and the Quantified Self for 10 New Startups
Nike and TechStars first announced the launch of their digital fitness startup accelerator program in December 2012 to find startups that will help people lead more active lives. As of yesterday, they have officially picked the 10 lucky startups that will participate in their inaugural 3 month class.
http://www.gamification.co/2013/03/19/nike-and-techstars-10-new-digital-fitness-startups/

(photo, Nike Tech)

Sport 4 Socialisation: Promoting inclusion in Zimbabwe
A new video highlights Sport 4 Socialisation’s programmes, which use sport to rehabilitate and integrate young people with disabilities.

Video – http://vimeo.com/60731754

Sim Bhullar, New Mexico State’s 7-foot-5 center, draws a crowd on the court and off it
Bhullar’s size and potential and his Indian heritage give him a chance to be a basketball trailblazer…Bhullar and 7-foot-3 younger brother Tanveer, a promising high school prospect, both have the chance to be the first prominent basketball players of Indian descent.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaab-the-dagger/sim-bhullar-college-basketball-tallest-player-making-huge-000225569–ncaab.html

(photo, Sim Bhullar) Caption: Sim Bhullar and 6-foot-1 guard K.C. Ross-Miller (USA Today Sports Images)

MLS WORKS Launches 2013 ‘Don’t Cross the Line’ Campaign
Elements of the campaign, which promotes unity, respect, fair play, equality and acceptance, will be revealed throughout the 2013 MLS season. Major League Soccer is committed to providing an environment in which clubs, coaches, players, fans and partners are treated with dignity and respect.
http://www.mlssoccer.com/blog/mls-works-blog/2013/03/15/mls-works-launches-2013-dont-cross-line-campaign
Video – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpzpuHJPFMU

Michael Jordan visits schools, announces $200,000 gift to YMCA
Jordan surprised one aspiring student at each school with news that they’d earned a $5,000 scholarship, and then he unveiled a new program that will have six students from Y Achievers doing paid summer internships with the team. Meanwhile, all of the Bobcats players and the organization’s staff fanned out for a day of service at six Charlotte-Mecklenburg elementary and middle schools.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/03/21/3930036/michael-jordan-visits-3-schools.html#storylink=cpy

(photo, Michael Jordan)

K.C. Chosen As Host Site For Advanced Screening Of Upcoming Jackie Robinson Biopic
Kansas City was announced Wednesday as the host site for the only advance public screenings of a film chronicling the rise of Jackie Robinson, a nod to the city where the baseball great made his professional debut two years before breaking the major league color barrier.
http://bostonherald.com/entertainment/movies/movie_news/2013/03/jackie_robinson_film_screenings_to_help_kc_negro_leagues

(photo, Jackie Robinson1)

THE NEXT 10 STORIES

Ecover extends sponsorship of the Blue Mile and announces new partnership with the Marine Conservation Society
Sport Environment, is delighted to announce that Ecover, the innovative ecological cleaning products company, has extended its headline sponsorship of the Ecover Blue Mile for a further two years. The event which was created by triple round the world sailor and ocean advocate, Conrad Humphreys aims to encourage more people to get active in support of our marine environment.
http://boards.mpora.com/news/ecover-extends-sponsorship-of-the-blue-mile-and-announces-new-partnership-with-the-marine-conservation-society.html

(photo, The Blue Mile)

EDF Energy has extended its sponsorship of the British Paralympic Association (BPA) and ParalympicsGB through to the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The partnership will provide support for ParalympicsGB at the Winter Paralympics in Sochi next year as well as Rio 2016. In addition to the deal with the BPA, EDF will support the Paralympic Movement in the UK through the continuation of ‘Team EDF’, the ambassador programme through which it backs individual Paralympic athletes as they prepare for the Games.
http://www.sportbusiness.com/news/188470/edf-re-energises-paralympicsgb

Sloane Stephens: America’s next tennis hope?
“Sloane is bright, she’s charming, she’s friendly with people, she has a bubbly personality and beautiful smile,” Saviano says.”And in some way this has exacerbated the public’s wanting her to succeed. “These are endearing qualities that you root for, ones you want in a champion.”
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2013-03-19/sports/fl-sloane-stephens-0320-20130319_1_serena-williams-sloane-stephens-australian-open

(photo, Sloane Stephens)  Caption: Sloane Stephens of the U.S. hits a return to Sorana Cirstea of Romania during their women’s singles match at the WTA Dubai Tennis Championships, February 18, 2013. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah

Panel Discussion on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
“There is no place for racism and intolerance in sport… Sport is meant to foster social cohesion, bring different cultures together in a celebration of healthy competition, and to overcome the diffidence and even contempt that all too often divide countries and communities in the political and social arenas.”
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/IDERD/Pages/EliminationRacialDiscrimination.aspx

(photo, IDERD)

Newtown, CT victims to be honored across MLB
For all 30 clubs, MLB.com will auction an authenticated jersey signed by all players and coaches on each respective Opening Day roster. All proceeds will go to the Sandy Hook School Support Fund, created by United Way of Western Connecticut and Newtown Savings Bank immediately after the tragedy, to provide support services to surviving families and the Newtown community.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130322&content_id=43124262&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb

2012 Akron Marathon Earns Certification From The Council For Responsible Sport For Its Sustainability Initiatives
With Akron’s certification, the Council marks the milestone of having certified 50 different events for their environmental and socially responsible production practices.
https://endurancesportswire.com/2012-akron-marathon-earns-certification-from-the-council-for-responsible-sport-for-its-sustainability-initiatives/

(photo, Akron Marathon)

NHL facilities celebrate Earth Hour 2013; All 30 NHL arenas join global call to action in support of the environment
While energy builds on the ice with Playoff positions at stake, all facilities will scale back the electricity used in their operations during the globally recognized hour. The goal of Earth Hour is to show the world that even taking the seemingly smallest measures to conserve energy is a big step in the right direction for communities, businesses and governments across the globe.
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=661309

(photo, NHL Green)

Hitmen Captain Cody Sylvester Raises Over $17,300 For Chance To Play
The Calgary Hitmen Hockey Club is proud to announce that captain Cody Sylvester raised $17,312 for his Chance To Play program, a fundraising initiative created by the 20-year-old to support local minor hockey. The funds collected will benefit kids who would not normally have the chance to play hockey by providing them with an opportunity to participate in sport.
http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4559683

(photo, Calgary Hitmen)

SEME 2013: The 10th Annual National Sports Career & Networking Conference
This innovative and interactive experience for college students and recent graduates builds upon an exceptional track record formed over the past eight years with a cast of over 400+ keynotes, panelists and speakers from its previous three locations – SEME East (D.C.), SEME Central (Chicago/Northwestern) and SEME West (Los Angeles/ U.S.C.) – which SEME now has combined the reach of those three exceptional conferences into one.
http://www.seme-now.com/index2.php?page=conference

(photo, SEME)

New York Knick Tyson Chandler and Los Angeles Laker Pau Gasol Joins “The Wildlife Team”
Thanks to an initiative from WildAid and NBA Cares, this can be stopped. ‘The Wildlife Team’ consisting of Tyson Chandler of the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers star, Pau Gasol, use their popularity as NBA stars to promote the mission of WildAid.
http://www.bonfireimpact.com/2013/03/18/tyson-chandler-joins-the-wildlife-team/

(photo, Gasol Chandler)