Nov. 17 – Nov. 30, 2019
Welcome to issue three hundred and twenty-five of the Sports Doing Good newsletter. This week’s 10 stories include:

1. Kaurs, Singhs and Kings (SB Nation)
2. Amateur club Fortuna SC gives exiled Cuban players a shot at glory, sense of community (ESPN.com)
3. What It Means to be Native in This Sport (US Lax Magazine)
4. Cultural impact of prestigious soccer game goes far beyond the pitch (The Jerusalem Post)
5. Seattle Storm Co-Owner Ginny Gilder: ‘Doors Shut, Doors Open, You Keep Going’ (SportTechie)
6. I Got Hit by a Car During Marathon Training. This Is What Inspired Me to Run Again (Self.com)
7. 14 unexpected sports moments we’re thankful for this year (ESPN.com)
8. Nathan Bain’s family in the Bahamas lost almost everything in Hurricane Dorian. He beat Duke for them, he said (CNN.com)
9. Overwhelming number of Premier League players celebrate inclusion with Rainbow Laces (SB Nation/Outsports)
10. Wataru Misaka helped break pro basketball’s color barrier; you should know his name (The Undefeated)

10+
TGR Foundation Celebrates Milestone In Education Impact (Beyond Sport)
http://www.beyondsport.org/articles/tgr-foundation-celebrates-milestone-in-education-impact/
Teach Your Athletes to Be Respectful Winners On the Field (TrueSport)
https://learn.truesport.org/teach-athletes-respectful-winners/
Eat Well, Play Well (by Charity Morgan, Richard Sherman and Kelley O’Hara) (The Players’ Tribune)
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/videos/eat-well-play-well-richard-sherman-kelley-ohara-charity-morgan
Formula 1 Sets Carbon Neutral Goal for 2030 (Beyond Sport)
www.beyondsport.org/articles/formula-1-sets-carbon-neutral-goal-for-2030
“Gender equality in sport will come through directives” (by Honey Thaljieh) (Peace and Sport)
https://www.peace-sport.org/opinion/gender-equality-in-sport-will-come-through-directives/

We present again our “Featured Video” offering(s). With the explosion of video content out there highlighting the good in sport, we want to showcase such content for your enjoyment and learning. This will be an ongoing effort.

A Player’s Evolution (by Kurt Warner) (The Players’ Tribune)
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/videos/a-players-evolution-kurt-warner

Introduction
In the more than seven years that I have done this newsletter, I don’t think I had more than a couple of discussions with my dad about any of the stories. He was a subscriber, but sports admittedly were not a major part of his life, whether as a player or fan. He did have the occasional spike in interest – being a Long Islander while the New York Islanders won four Stanley Cups in the 1980s – and tennis, when he learned other doctors were checking out the U.S. Open and he thought it would be a good way to network.

But my dad was certainly not anti-sport. He supported my brother’s and my interest in playing sports, following sports, talking about sports, etc. You get it, we were REALLY into sports. As long as we were doing well in school, he had a pretty hands-off policy when it came to sports. He even came to some of our soccer games, though he would sometimes need to leave early to get back to the hospital to see patients.

For a while it was hard for my brother and I to understand how our dad could not be into sports like we were. The answer came forth as we learned more about our dad’s life, how he came from very humble beginnings in India, that education was his key to personal and professional development, and that he did not have a plethora of sports role models like we did. When he decided to move to the United States in 1968 with my mom and then 1-year old brother, he unknowingly stepped into a different world that ultimately shaped the future of his family and career.

Those from the Sikh religion have not had it easy in this country since they first arrived in the late 19th century. Looking and speaking differently was not necessarily the best ways to be readily accepted in the U.S. And lacking a population size that could impact policy, Sikhs made do with the situation at hand. Things slowly improved and gained momentum in the late 1960s and 1970s and the next generations prospered. September 2001, however, challenged Sikhs and the country as a whole when it came to tolerance of others. We are still battling almost 20 years later with hate crimes targeting this group and others.

My dad was certainly a pioneer and game changer when it came to Sikhs and South Asians and their growth in this country. He experienced blatant and subtle racism that slowed down his career development and at times compromised his ability to serve his patients, the people he cared about the most. His hard work, unyielding effort and appreciation of the big picture got him past these tough times and put him in a position to help change the lives of literally dozens of doctors and nurses on Long Island and around the country. You could call him the ultimate teammate and coach, helping make those around him better.

For most immigrant groups, it is a long, not straight road to broad acceptance and my dad knew that. He experienced hardships but was an optimist at heart. He felt individuals and the country could improve. While not overly expressive, my dad would have been comforted by the pride Sikhs continue to display and how they are working harder than ever at bettering not just their lives but those of their fellow citizens in the United States. And after being here more than 50 years, I don’t think he would be surprised sports has been part of that effort.

That is why I believe that the first story that we feature this week is one he would have loved and that we would have definitely talked about. “Kaurs, Singhs and Kings” speaks to the connection of Sikhs and sports in this country and how that has helped educate people about who Sikhs are and what they represent – equality, service, social justice and faith.

My dad passed away last Sunday, November 24 at the age of 81. It is an incredible loss to say the least. I wish my dad had gotten the chance to read “Kaurs, Singhs, and Kings.” The story would have given him the sense of peace, pride and accomplishment he so richly deserved.

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 email)

So, enjoy. And have a good week.

Kaurs, Singhs and Kings (SB Nation)
https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2019/11/22/20975803/sikh-american-heritage-events-sports-sacaramento-kings

Amateur club Fortuna SC gives exiled Cuban players a shot at glory, sense of community (ESPN.com)
https://www.espn.com/soccer/cuba-cub/story/3989260/amateur-club-fortuna-sc-gives-exiled-cuban-players-a-shot-at-glorysense-of-community

What It Means to be Native in This Sport (US Lax Magazine)
https://www.uslaxmagazine.com/fuel/us-lacrosse/what-it-means-to-be-native-in-this-sport

Cultural impact of prestigious soccer game goes far beyond the pitch (The Jerusalem Post)
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Cultural-impact-of-prestigious-soccer-game-goes-far-beyond-the-pitch-608393

Seattle Storm Co-Owner Ginny Gilder: ‘Doors Shut, Doors Open, You Keep Going’ (SportTechie)
https://www.sporttechie.com/seattle-storm-ginny-gilder-olympic-rowing-equality-rights

I Got Hit by a Car During Marathon Training. This Is What Inspired Me to Run Again (Self.com)
https://www.self.com/story/injured-while-marathon-training

14 unexpected sports moments we’re thankful for this year (ESPN.com)
https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/28142728/14-unexpected-sports-moments-thankful-year

Nathan Bain’s family in the Bahamas lost almost everything in Hurricane Dorian. He beat Duke for them, he said (CNN.com)
https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/27/us/stephen-f-austin-duke-nathan-bain-bahamas/index.html

Overwhelming number of Premier League players celebrate inclusion with Rainbow Laces (SB Nation/Outsports)
https://www.outsports.com/2019/11/27/20986013/premier-league-rainbow-laces-week-soccer-lgbtq-football-england-great-britain-pride

Wataru Misaka helped break pro basketball’s color barrier; you should know his name (The Undefeated)
https://theundefeated.com/features/wataru-misaka-broke-pro-basketballs-color-barrier-you-should-know-his-name/

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Our goal is to have Sports Doing Good be a portal housing original content and excerpts from and links to the increasing number of articles, websites, video, and other media that showcase the good in sports and society. We aim to celebrate those concepts, activities, events, and individuals by highlighting them for a wider audience. Much of the news today, whether sports- related or not, is incredibly negative and increasingly polarizing, biased, and quite annoying. We are trying to refocus some of the discussion on the good, with a focus on sports.

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Contact Information
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Sarbjit “Sab” Singh
sab@sportsdoinggood.com
516-287-7141
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