Sept. 22 – Oct. 5, 2024
Welcome to issue four hundred and forty-nine of the Sports Doing Good newsletter. This week’s 10 stories include:

1. Why Allianz is using its Olympic sponsorship to get youngsters back playing sport (SportsPro Media)
2. From The White House To The U.N., Reminders Of Being Bigger Than The Game… (Joe Favorito)
3. Track Leagues: Evaluating The Next Great Sports IP Entities (Petcash Post)
4. The Rossoneri Family Celebrates the International Week of Deaf People (AC Milan)
5. Russell Westbrook Unveils Newly Expanded Westbrook Academy Before NBA Season (Bleacher Report)
6. Play to Lead: The Generational Impact of Sport on Women’s Leadership (Women’s Sports Foundation)
7. Meet Travis Hunter: cornerback, receiver, anthropology nerd and lover of cheesy chicken (USA Today)
8. Packed houses and superstars have made this a WNBA season unlike any other (The Guardian)
9. Soccer Fandom Is Booming In America According To New Report (Forbes)
10. Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo dies of brain cancer at age 58 (ESPN)


10+
United Nations Pact for the Future highlights role of sport for SDGs – IOC President thanks world leaders at Summit of the Future (Olympics.com)
https://olympics.com/ioc/news/united-nations-pact-for-the-future-highlights-role-of-sport-for-sdgs-ioc-president-thanks-world-leaders-at-summit-of-the-future
Monumental Sports & Entertainment Launches “District of Play” – A Groundbreaking Youth Sports Initiative in Washington, D.C. (Monumental Sports)
https://monumentalsports.com/2024/09/monumental-sports-entertainment-launches-district-of-play-a-groundbreaking-youth-sports-initiative-in-washington-d-c/
A Message for Green Bay (by Aaron Jones) (The Players’ Tribune)
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/aaron-jones-nfl-minnesota-vikings-green-bay-packers
IOC announces winners of Climate Action Awards 2024 (Olympics.com)
https://olympics.com/ioc/news/ioc-announces-winners-of-climate-action-awards-2024
A Fresh Look, Deeper Impact: Explore the New Beyond Sport (Beyond Sport)
https://beyondsport.org/2024/09/11/a-fresh-look-deeper-impact-explore-the-new-beyond-sport/


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. And now we add podcasts!

The enduring legacy of Dikembe Mutombo (ESPN)
https://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/41531408
IRONMAN Secrets of Nirupa Shankar: How She Masters TRIATHLON and REAL ESTATE
https://youtu.be/X6AAYx2-zrE?si=lOiglnNrjnkCJeFJ


Introduction
Writing an introduction never pained me as much as it is doing right now. Why so hard? I call your attention to two entries this week, the last of the 10 articles, and the first video. They feature Mr. Dikembe Mutombo, who passed away this week at the age of 58. When I got that first text on Monday, I literally stopped walking and grabbed the first seat I could. I so wanted the news to be a mistake. Over the past couple of years, I subscribed to the “no news is good news” mantra when it came to Dikembe’s health. Seeing these texts was devastating.

One idea I had for the introduction was to type the words “sports,” “doing,” “good,” have a picture of Dikembe, and leave it at that. Mic drop, for who better epitomized those ideas than Dikembe? In a way, every newsletter I have done is a Thank You letter to him and others who give so much to help others. The difference here was I shared a very important connection – Georgetown University – for 36 years and had the chance to meet Dikembe a few times over the years. A few of the words that were used in the many articles about Dikembe included “big, towering, great, humanitarian, service, and heart.” I agree with all of those and many more that sought to capture the essence of how I saw him, as a global citizen. So many posts I have seen on social media mentioned just how incredibly nice he was, how approachable he was, and how much fun he was. People talked of his smile and booming voice. They serve as great memories.

I am going to finish with the post I wrote on Facebook:

This is the last part of the Georgetown University mission statement: “Georgetown educates women and men to be reflective lifelong learners, to be responsible and active participants in civic life and to live generously in service to others.”

For me, no one epitomized that more than an aspiring doctor from the DRC. While as a doctor he would have touched thousands of lives, in the life he ultimately led, he touched millions. My heart goes out to his family, friends and other champions of good around the world. Thank you, Dikembe.

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

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.

Why Allianz is using its Olympic sponsorship to get youngsters back playing sport (SportsPro Media)
https://www.sportspromedia.com/insights/analysis/allianz-sports-sponsorship-olympics-paralympics-move-now-marketing-campaign/

From The White House To The U.N., Reminders Of Being Bigger Than The Game… (Joe Favorito)
https://joefavorito.com/2024/09/24/from-the-white-house-to-the-u-n-reminders-of-being-bigger-than-the-game/

Track Leagues: Evaluating The Next Great Sports IP Entities (Petcash Post)
https://www.petcashpost.com/p/new-track-leagues

The Rossoneri Family Celebrates the International Week of Deaf People (AC Milan)
https://www.acmilan.com/en/news/articles/club/2024-09-26/the-rossoneri-family-celebrates-the-international-week-of-deaf-people

Russell Westbrook Unveils Newly Expanded Westbrook Academy Before NBA Season (Bleacher Report)
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10136699-photo-russell-westbrook-unveils-newly-expanded-westbrook-academy-before-nba-season

Play to Lead: The Generational Impact of Sport on Women’s Leadership (Women’s Sports Foundation)
https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/articles_and_report/play-to-lead/

Meet Travis Hunter: cornerback, receiver, anthropology nerd and lover of cheesy chicken (USA Today)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/big12/2024/09/20/travis-hunter-deion-sanders-colorado-heisman/75272013007/

Packed houses and superstars have made this a WNBA season unlike any other (The Guardian)
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/sep/20/packed-houses-and-superstars-have-made-this-a-wnba-season-unlike-any-other

Soccer Fandom Is Booming In America According To New Report (Forbes)
https://www.forbes.com/sites/vitascarosella/2024/09/17/soccer-fandom-is-booming-in-america-according-to-new-report/

Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo dies of brain cancer at age 58 (ESPN)
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/41530918/hall-famer-dikembe-mutombo-dies-brain-cancer-age-58

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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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