First Take: Sports Diplomacy
The Washington Star sports editor opened the letter from far-off Caracas, Venezuela, that had just arrived by diplomatic pouch. Entitled “A Very Sad Day,” the piece was penned by my father…
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Theme: Sports
Fútbol con Corazón
Picture a soccer field where the rules of the game are re-written; where boys and girls play together and re-invent themselves as agents of change. Where matches are won not by the…
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The Cradle of Brazilian Soccer
Thousands of fans drive to a soccer stadium, a very common scene every Sunday in soccer-mad São Paulo. Brazilians are proud to be five-time World Champions, to be the home of Pelé…
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Caribbean Baseball
When Sammy Sosa, a sixteen-year-old shoeshine boy from San Pedro de Macorís, signed his first baseball contract in 1985, he took part of his $3,500 bonus and splurged—on a used bicycle…
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Beyond Soccer
I don’t want to get into what I was like before I got on the team because I’m not proud of it. Lots of gang stuff. I don’t know why I was into that, but I didn’t have a lot when I got to the U.S. I guess…
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