Sports Doing Good Newsletter, #82

Oct. 20 – Oct. 26, 2013

Welcome to week eighty-two of the Sports Doing Good newsletter. This week’s first 10 stories include:

  1. GOLD – YOU CAN DO MORE THAN YOU THINK (movie)
  2. 8th Annual Ivy Sports Symposium @ Harvard Law School
  3. Watch This Northwestern Basketball Walk-On Get Surprised with a Full Scholarship
  4. Goethals just keeps overcoming; Eating disorder, OCD, injury nothing compared to her mother’s fight against cancer
  5. Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products to Celebrate “The Simpsons” and Soccer with Launch of Global Campaign in 2014
  6. Citi Announces $500,000 Donation to U.S. Olympic Committee to Benefit the Next Generation of Team USA
  7. Ohio State Marching Band Does Michael Jackson Moonwalk Like You’ve Never Seen Before
  8. Vijay Barse and Slum Soccer: Finding inspiration, founding an organisation
  9. Pickup Soccer in Brazil Has an Allure All Its Own
  10. Africa on the Ball – FIFA Futbol Mundial Feature

Introduction
This week we had a relatively large dose of stories with video. We don’t purposely seek out stories with that feature but certainly appreciate how much people like to hear and see story, and not just read it.

The videos include: the trailer for the brilliant documentary, GOLD; the capturing of a family’s pure joy over the awarding of a scholarship; the absolutely awesome Ohio State marching band and its tribute to Michael Jackson; a presentation by Vijay Barse, founder of Slum Soccer; and a feature for NGO, Africa on the Ball.

With so much entertainment, sports, and news being consumed in the video format, we will be sure to continue to keep an eye out for such stories. And we are working on a new site design that will allow us to easily feature videos, in addition to the pictures that usually accompany the articles.

In addition to the stories with video, we are proud to present ones involving: the upcoming Ivy Sports Symposium; star college runner Megan Goethals; the significance of pickup soccer in Brazil; basketball great Yao Ming; Cincinnati Reds bat boy Ted Kremer; college soccer player Sofia Huerta; the late sportscaster Bill Mazer; Ukrainian boxing champion Vitali Klitschko; and former Hoya and current Indiana Pacer Roy Hibbert.

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.

GOLD – YOU CAN DO MORE THAN YOU THINK (movie)
In his film, experienced cinematographer Michael Hammon follows three athletes on their way to the London Paralympics, capturing impressive moments that describe their hopes and doubts, victories and defeats. Besides Kirsten Bruhn he also portrays blind Kenyan long-distance runner Henry Wanyoike and Kurt Fearnley from Australia who was born in 1981 missing the lower part of his backbone and since youth has been dubbed the marathon man of wheelchair sports. All three athletes subscribe to Fearnley’s credo: “You can overcome any barrier if you really want to”.
http://www.gold-derfilm.de/en/index.html
(Video – http://youtu.be/N2obrMp96xM)

8th Annual Ivy Sports Symposium @ Harvard Law School
The Ivy Sports Symposium is an annual student-run conference that is considered one of the global sports industry’s premier events. The Symposium enables the industry’s leaders and most successful executives to share invaluable knowledge with their peers and potential successors.
http://www.eventbrite.com/event/7854762807/tstix

Watch This Northwestern Basketball Walk-On Get Surprised with a Full Scholarship
Northwestern basketball coach Chris Collins thought so highly of James Montgomery, he didn’t just give him a full scholarship for this season, he announced it in front of the entire team. The best part of the video, though, is Montgomery telling his mom and sister the news over the phone.
http://extramustard.si.com/2013/10/22/northwestern-basketball-james-montgomery-walk-on-scholarship-video/?sct=hp_t2_a18&eref=sihp
(Video – http://youtu.be/NEvnE0QOXI0)

Goethals just keeps overcoming; Eating disorder, OCD, injury nothing compared to her mother’s fight against cancer
Goethals wasn’t starving herself (anorexia nervosa), or bingeing on and purging food (bulimia nervosa). Rather, knowing she had to eat to perform, and not seeing any athletic setbacks, Goethals’ OCD had dictated her eating habits since high school. Megan wondered if she would ever recover and compete again, and wondered what she would do with her life going forward.
http://espn.go.com/sports/endurance/story/_/id/9874019/endurance-sports-megan-goethals-all-american-journey-full-obstacles

It took effort for Megan Goethals to get on the track, but she succeeded once she did. (Michael Scott)

Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products to Celebrate “The Simpsons” and Soccer with Launch of Global Campaign in 2014
“2014 is the year of soccer with the FIFA World Cup(TM), serving to connect fans from cities, towns and villages around the world to experience the biggest sporting event,” said Jeffrey Godsick, President, Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products. “This is the perfect opportunity to present a line of soccer merchandise, promotions and content that will leave an indelible imprint on THE SIMPSONS fans around the world.”
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2013/10/22/twentieth-century-fox-consumer-products-to-celebrate-the-simpsons-and-soccer-with-launch-of-global-campaign-in-2014-518212/20131022fox02/

Citi Announces $500,000 Donation to U.S. Olympic Committee to Benefit the Next Generation of Team USA
“Citi is proud to support Team USA through 2016 while providing much needed support for the future success of the next generation of Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls,” said Citi CEO Michael Corbat. “Giving every American the chance to support the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams is a great way to share the Olympic spirit with clients, fans and communities across the country.”
http://www.fortmilltimes.com/2013/10/24/3048326/citi-announces-500000-donation.html

Citi CEO Michael Corbat along with Team Citi athletes Dan Jansen, Picabo Street and Rico Roman present a check to United States Olympic Committee CMO Lisa Baird to launch the Citi Every Step of the Way program in New York City.  MIKE COPPOLA — Business Wire

Ohio State Marching Band Does Michael Jackson Moonwalk Like You’ve Never Seen Before (VIDEO)
The Ohio State University marching band celebrated the 25th anniversary of Michael Jackson’s album, “Bad,” during halftime of the game against the University of Iowa Saturday. Their flawless synchronicity is pretty mesmerizing, but it’s game over once they start doing the moonwalk at 4:40.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/21/ohio-state-michael-jackson-marching-band_n_4136526.html?utm_hp_ref=email_share
(Video – http://youtu.be/GTca2nrIn4U)

Vijay Barse and Slum Soccer: Finding inspiration, founding an organisation
Vijay Barse is the founder of Slum Soccer, an Indian organisation which uses football as a first step towards getting the homeless off the streets. He describes how he found the inspiration to found Slum Soccer and work for street children…In this TEDx talk, Vijay Barse shows how football can be used as a tool to connect with people and bring about social development.
http://www.sportanddev.org/en/newsnviews/news/?6263%2F1%2FFinding-inspiration-founding-an-organisation
(Video – http://youtu.be/y5CepVQ7RD0)

Pickup Soccer in Brazil Has an Allure All Its Own
They paused. That is the dream, of course, the fantasy. Romário, one of the greatest Brazilian scorers ever, played in the streets, too. So did Ronaldo. So did Rivaldo. Sometimes, scouts come to the favelas and organize a game. Sometimes, a player is picked.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/20/sports/soccer/pickup-soccer-in-brazil-has-an-allure-all-its-own.html?emc=eta1&_r=0

Lalo de Almeida for The New York Times

Africa on the Ball – FIFA Futbol Mundial Feature
Africa On The Ball is an organisation which uses the power of football to tackle many issues in deprived areas of Africa. Our aim is to use football as a vehicle for community development including health and education. We are developing a model centered around using football and its popularity for the benefit of all within communities. There are many ways we believe sport can be a huge tool for community’s development.
http://africaontheball.org/#
(Video – http://youtu.be/FeTPZ5T8yPU)

THE NEXT 10 STORIES

Yao Ming’s work as an anti-shark fin soup crusader is showing real progress in China
According to the Washington Post, though, things are changing as more and more diners from Yao’s home turf are becoming aware of just how destructive the shark fin trade had become. We reported on Yao’s participation in the fight two years ago, and in the time since we’ve seen significant and tangible change for the better.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/yao-ming-anti-shark-fin-soup-crusader-showing-185128028–nba.html?soc_src=mediacontentstory

Commentary: Rivera’s Journey to Immortality Overshadows Rodriguez’s Path to Infamy
The unadulterated adoration for Rivera throughout his magnificent career was heartfelt and genuine. As the fans serenaded the iconic closer as he was officially saying goodbye to Yankee Stadium, you got the sense that Rodriguez was the loneliest man in the ball park that evening. It must have dawned on him that he will never receive a grand sendoff or will be held in high regard by the Yankees or Major League Baseball. Rivera treated every day that he wore a Yankees uniform as if it were a privilege while Rodriguez still views it as a sense of entitlement. For a man that has everything that money can buy, Rodriguez will never obtain the one thing that Rivera has in bushels: love.
http://www.nyusportsandsociety.org/media/riveras-journey-to-immortality-overshadows-rodriguezs-path-to-infamy/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=facebook

Ted Kremer — the Cincinnati Reds batboy with Down syndrome — gets his own baseball card
It might seem like charity to give a person with Down syndrome a chance at being a batboy for a day. Same with hiring him for the front office. And then to make a baseball card of him. And yet, all of it is deserved. Through his personality, his will and his utility, Kremer made himself a real member of the Reds. He’s on the team. He’s just as worthy as anyone else. Good for Topps, making a Ted Kremer card.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/ted-kremer-reds-bat-boy-down-syndrome-gets-171618441–mlb.html

Soccer Player Sofia Huerta right at home with Mexico
“She might be able to make a difference in helping a cultural turnaround in terms of embracing women playing soccer.” Playing for Mexico was, at its core, a pragmatic decision for Huerta. That doesn’t preclude other benefits.
http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-commentary/article/9858368/espnw-santa-clara-broncos-sofia-huerta-right-home-mexico

Sofia Huerta has lacked confidence at times during her career at Santa Clara, but earned first-team all-conference honors in each of her first two seasons and has seven goals in 14 games this year. Denis Concordel

10 Reasons Outdoor Play is Crucial to Healthy Child Development
When safe, sane practices are adhered to, time spent playing outside is not only fun, but also essential to your child’s healthy development and growth. These are ten of the reasons why you might want to think twice before discouraging outdoor play, and how spending time outside is actually good for your kids.
http://www.liveinnanny.com/blog/10-reasons-outdoor-play-is-crucial-to-healthy-child-development/

MLB sets charitable lineup for World Series; Community, global initiatives to be highlighted at first four games in Boston, St. Louis
Community activities will include a V.A. hospital visit, youth clinics, home construction, fighting cancer, the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet, and the first-ever Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) Scouting Showcase.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/mlb/major-league-baseball-sets-charitable-lineup-for-world-series?ymd=20131022&content_id=63039894

stand_up_to_cancer

Bill Mazer, legendary New York sports radio and TV broadcaster, dies at 92
Mazer, who rose to fame in the Big Apple with his WNBC-AM radio show, made a one-on-one connection with listeners. It didn’t matter where you were listening or calling from — Mazer was speaking to nobody else but you. He made the same connection with TV viewers for 20 years on his Ch. 5 program ‘Sports Extra.’
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/mazer-big-apple-sports-talk-pioneer-dies-92-article-1.1494738#ixzz2ipv43Pls

United Reads returns for Fall 2013; In 11th year, program has served 23,000+ elementary students, distributed 80,000+ books
United Reads is a signature program created to encourage elementary school students in the greater Metropolitan Washington, D.C. area to read and to promote the importance of healthy lifestyles… The program will continue to partner with the Heart of America Foundation to provide new books to every student during D.C. United’s visits to each school this fall.
http://www.dcunited.com/news/2013/10/united-reads-returns-for-fall-2013

Ukrainian boxer Vitali Klitschko to run for president
In addition to having amassed a professional record of 47 wins (41 by knockout) and two losses, the 6-foot, 7½-inch heavyweight is the leader of the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform party…He has run twice for mayor of Kiev, holds a master’s degree in social development, a doctorate in sport science, is married and has three children.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/24/world/europe/ukraine-boxer-president/

Vitali Klitschko celebrates after winning the WBC-heavy weight title in 2012 in Moscow, Russia.

11-Day NBA Warning: Inside Roy Hibbert’s Offseason Training
It is those boring, uninspiring exercises that are secretly fueling Hibbert’s improvement as an athlete. By focusing heavily on mobility and stability, Hibbert isn’t just improving his strength and power, he’s lessening the chance of being hit by nagging injuries — assuming he stays diligent with his in-season maintenance lifting.
http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/78810/11-day-nba-warning-inside-roy-hibberts-offseason-training

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