Oct. 6 – October 19, 2019
Welcome to issue three hundred and twenty-two of the Sports Doing Good newsletter. This week’s 10 stories include:

1. Junior Vaivai: on representing USA, giving back and listening to The Rock (Guardian)
2. How the Fiercest Warrior in “Wonder Woman” Kicked Her Way Into Hollywood (Narratively)
3. Big in Japan: Andrés Iniesta, the J League and Rakuten’s global marketing strategy (SportsPro)
4. Simone Biles, Coco Gauff and Brigid Kosgei win in dominating fashion (The Undefeated)
5. Family comes first for Delle Donne, even during WNBA championship run (ESPN.com)
6. Johnstown Warriors’ new girls hockey team thanks Sidney Crosby for the assist (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
7. Iranian Women Allowed to Attend Soccer Game for First Time Since 1981 (New York Times)
8. The baseball field where it’s always 1858 (The Outline)
9. Simone Biles Breaks Record for Most World Medals Won By Any Gymnast, With New Move That Now Bears Her Name (Good News Network)
10. In Fight Against Racism, Soccer Can Choose the Playing Field (New York Times)

10+
Aya Medany: “Sport Has Made Me Stronger; I Want To Transmit That Strength (Peace and Sport)
https://www.peace-sport.org/opinion/sport-has-made-me-stronger-i-want-to-transmit-that-strength/
Letter to my Younger Self (by Gianluigi Buffon) (The Players’ Tribune)
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/gigi-buffon-letter-to-my-younger-self
Sport, STEM & The Global Goals – Beyond Innovation 2019 (Beyond Sport)
http://www.beyondsport.org/articles/sport-stem-and-the-global-goals-beyond-innovation-2019/
UEFA announces climate action for EURO 2020 (Sport and Dev)
https://www.sportanddev.org/en/article/news/uefa-announces-climate-action-euro-2020
WTA Launches Global Campaign ‘Aceing Cancer’ (Beyond Sport)
http://www.beyondsport.org/articles/wta-launches-global-campaign-aceing-cancer

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.

Passing on Her Strength: Pumping Iron With Kenya’s Strongest Women (Great Big Story)
https://www.greatbigstory.com/stories/the-strongest-women-in-kenya

Introduction
One of the things I have learned about the world of sports and sports business is that even if you don’t like something or don’t follow it, doesn’t mean it is not popular to other folks and potentially big business. I emphasize that to the students I teach and advise when it comes to considering internships and jobs. A student asked me about the potential for lacrosse and I could not say enough, even though I have never played and don’t follow it closely. But is it a growing sport and viable business? Absolutely!

Well, the first story this week has to do with a U.S. rugby player. (Yes, they exist). Not only do they exist, they are slowly but surely increasing their presence on the rugby world stage, both in rugby league and rugby union. (I learned there is a difference.) Junior Vaivai is foreign-born but qualified to play for the U.S. in rugby league, and has experience in multiple leagues abroad. He also has dealt with injuries, coaches who did not see his potential, and thought about giving up the sport. Again, you may not follow rugby but that surely sounds like an athlete to me. Take a look at Junior’s story and the picture with his very famous cousin.

The other stories we are happy to feature include: former Swedish kickboxing champion and now fierce actress Madeleine Vall Beijner; the brilliant soccer star Spaniard Andrés Iniesta and his time playing and endorsing Japanese company Rakuten; the dominating performances of three black female champions, Simone Biles, Coco Gauff and Brigid Kosgei; the power of family for WNBA superstar, and champion, Elena Delle Donne; the Johnstown Warriors’ new girls hockey team thanking superstar Sidney Crosby for helping get started in the sport; how Iranian women finally got the chance again to support their national soccer team; the Vintage Base Ball Association (VBBA), a nationwide league that plays baseball “as it was” by rules from 1858; a second appearance by world and Olympic champion gymnast Simone Biles (can we give her the Sportsperson of the Year award already?!?!); and a call to the powers that be in international football to fight racism at every turn.

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.

Junior Vaivai: on representing USA, giving back and listening to The Rock (Guardian)
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/no-helmets-required/2019/oct/17/junior-vaivai-dwayne-johnson-rock-rugby-league-world-cup-nines-usa

How the Fiercest Warrior in “Wonder Woman” Kicked Her Way Into Hollywood (Narratively)
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/how-the-fiercest-warrior-in-wonder-woman-kicked-her-way-into-hollywood

Big in Japan: Andrés Iniesta, the J League and Rakuten’s global marketing strategy (SportsPro)
http://www.sportspromedia.com/from-the-magazine/andres-iniesta-tv-rakuten-j-league-streaming-rights-interview

Simone Biles, Coco Gauff and Brigid Kosgei win in dominating fashion (The Undefeated)
https://theundefeated.com/features/simone-biles-coco-gauff-and-brigid-kosgei-win-in-dominating-fashion/

Family comes first for Delle Donne, even during WNBA championship run (ESPN.com)
https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/27792827/family-comes-first-delle-donne-even-wnba-championship-run

Johnstown Warriors’ new girls hockey team thanks Sidney Crosby for the assist (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
https://www.post-gazette.com/penguins/2019/10/11/Johnstown-Warriors-Cambria-girls-12u-youth-hockey-Little-Penguins-Sidney-Crosby/stories/201910110035

Iranian Women Allowed to Attend Soccer Game for First Time Since 1981 (New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/10/sports/soccer/iran-women.html

The baseball field where it’s always 1858 (The Outline)
https://theoutline.com/post/8101/vintage-baseball-association-mlb-rule-change

Simone Biles Breaks Record for Most World Medals Won By Any Gymnast, With New Move That Now Bears Her Name (Good News Network)
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/simone-biles-breaks-record-for-most-world-medals-for-any-gymnast/

In Fight Against Racism, Soccer Can Choose the Playing Field (New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/16/sports/soccer-racism-england-bulgaria.html


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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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