In a world where only terrible things make the news, it’s nice to have a feel-good story once in a while.
You may not know that the 2019 Women’s Lacrosse Under-19 World Championships are currently taking place. You may not now that they’re being held in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, a city of around 85,000 residents about an hour’s drive north of Toronto. And you probably didn’t know that the Israeli team faced off against the Kenyan team last week and won 13-4. But now you do.
It’s not the win that was important, though, it’s what happened after that.
Israel won the game 13-4; however, that is basically irrelevant after what they decided to do for the residents of the African nation. The Israeli team saw that their Kenyan counterparts were playing at the tournament without cleats.
So, they decided to do something about it.
Source: Yahoo Sports
The Israeli team purchased properly-fitted cleats for the entire team. The team members were ecstatic.
— Kenya Lacrosse (@KenyaLacrosse) August 8, 2019
Personal sizes thanks to @Israel_Lacrosse management. https://t.co/4WH7CJMUMu
— Kenya Lacrosse (@KenyaLacrosse) August 9, 2019
It seems that the new shoes may have made a real difference in the level of the Kenyan team’s effectiveness on the field.
The day after receiving their gifts from the Israeli team, Kenya defeated Belgium 16-9. It was their second win of the tournament.
Doesn’t that just warm your heart?
You’re not alone.
Reaction on social media, however, was mixed.
A few people were shocked that the Kenyan team had managed to get all the way tot he world championship without some of the most basic equipment.
Some thought that the gesture shone a light on the under-funding of sports teams by the Kenyan government.
The vast majority loved that the Israeli team was so generous and displayed sportsmanship so well.
Others were just a wee bit more cynical.
Yikes!
It seems that there is nothing an Israeli individual can do without it being labeled propaganda by those opposed to Israel’s existence. The dehumanization of all Israelis seems to extend to the world of sport as well.
Imagine thinking that every athlete was a tool of propaganda for their government! Yeah, like Megan Rapinoe, Colin Kaepernick, and Steph Curry are the unwitting tools of President Trump’s will.
Maybe these young Israeli women saw that their opponents were lacking the equipment to play at the elite level that their talent required and did something about it… because they love the game.
Could we maybe put politics aside for 5 minutes and just treat each other as human beings? You know, like the Israeli team just did with the Kenyan team?
