I turned on REALsports with Bryant Gumble this morning and one of the stories they covered today was homeless soccer:
Common Goal
In August 2003, REAL SPORTS told the remarkable story of New York City homeless men who gathered to play soccer on a team created by the Grand Central Neighborhood, a social services organization for disadvantaged adults. Week after week, a group of regulars from street corners and shelters met for practice and competition that gave them a renewed sense of purpose. The bonus arrived when they were able to travel to Austria to represent the U.S. in the first-ever Homeless World Cup. Mary Carillo revisits this extraordinary team and gives an update on its players.
It was a touching piece. Probably more so because of my own love for the game.
Today’s story was a follow up on the original story from 2003 and it showed the positive effect that the homeless soccer league had on some of the players and what they’ve been up to since then.
Even if you aren’t a big sports fan, I’d suggest checking out REALsports if you have HBO. If you don’t have HBO, you are missing out.
Piece,
—cK