PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. NC State vs Duke basketball. 5…4…3…2…1… and the crowd goes completely wild!!! NC State won a stunning 84-76 upset over Duke's heavily favored basketball squad. Keeping up with tradition, hundreds of fans stormed the court!
Hundreds stormed the court as the Wolfpack upsets the Blue Devils
One of the N.C. State Wolfpack's biggest fans, Will Privette, was quickly pushed to the center of the court in his wheelchair. Will was immediately overrun with wild fans and was thrown out of his wheelchair onto the court in the middle of a wild stampede. This was a very dangerous situation to be in...
Luckily, C.J. Leslie, the star basketball player from the Wolfpack came to the rescue. He cleared the way and lifted Will up!
"He held me for a couple of minutes. I was screaming and yelling," Will said.
C.J. Leslie is a complete hero. He helped lead the Wolfpack to victory and even more importantly, saved Will Privette's life.
C.J. Leslie, you are the man! Keep it up and we wish you the best!
Peace & Love,
Jon
The Good World News
Scott Wells, the 300 pound starting center for the St. Louis Rams, and his wife Julie have always wanted to have a large family. It was a long bumpy road, but they are so happy to have doubled their family with the addition of three children from Uganda!
Scott and Julie, former high school sweethearts, had their first son in 2003. Julie was pregnant with twins in 2005, but unfortunately lost them both. The Wells' were heartbroken, but did not give up on having kids. They had a daughter the next year and a son shortly after.
They still wanted to add more to their mini football team so they looked into adoption. They picked Uganda, a country in East Africa, as the location. The adoption agency found a perfect match - two boys the age of two. Scott and Julie were excited! Then the agency called back and said that one of the boys had a five year old sister….could they adopt her also? They happily said yes.
"We weren't going to split up [the siblings]. We already knew there was a huge orphans crisis. Our daughter wanted a sister. Again, this is where God was leading us," said Scott. "And, by this point, what's the difference between five kids or six? You're playing zone defense anyway."
Scott and Julie had a bit of a culture shock when they arrived in Uganda. I'm sure the Ugandans did as well when they saw the 300 pound NFL football player with shaved head and tattoos!
After a 10 week process, it worked out - They added three more children to the family!
"I learned that you can do more than you think you can. You're stronger than you think you are. And you're willing to do anything for your kids -- whether they came from your body or not", Julie stated.
Scott and Julie, Good World News congratulates you on the beautiful family!
Peace & Love,
Jon
The Good World News
We all know that sports events can get pretty heated. Entire streets, cities, states, and nations emotionally rally behind their team. In larger events, such as the Olympics or the World Cup, people view their teams with extreme hope and pride - as a way to place their homeland on the map. It is almost as if the team is an extension of the individual's own family.
PR Smith makes the case that good sportsmanship can change the world. He describes this in his popular website www.greatmomentsofsportsmanship.com, his book "Great Moments of Sportsmanship & Extraordinary Sports People", and in his TEDx Talk.
People, youth especially, really look up to their sports heroes. Imagine the impact that a sports hero can have on a young individual.
After most sporting events, the competing teams shake hands to the other side. Why? Because there is a mutual respect for the other side who went through the same rigorous training to get to this very moment. Also because the millions of people watching really look up to the teams and will mimic their behavior.
PR Smith describes Kerry vs Dublin, the All Ireland Final. Dublin hadn't won it in 16 years. Stephen Cluxton the Dublin goalkeeper kicked the winning goal to win the san mguire cup. Tomás Ó’Sé, a young Kerry player, fetched the game winning ball and handed it to Cluxton. Wow, what a show of sportsmanship.
In PR Smith's TED Talk he mentions how North Korea & South Korea are supposed to be arch enemies at war, but they played a game of table tennis together and shook hands at the 2012 Olympics. Wow, two nations at war shaking hands and smiling! Just think about what this could do for the citizens of both countries. This example of sportsmanship can definitely change the world!
North Korea and South Korea shake hands after a table tennis match in the 2012 Olympics
So now, PR Smith and his team are helping spread these great examples of sportsmanship. He will be in Chicago in July of 2013 and will be giving a presentation about sportsmanship (contact
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for more info). Their team also works with schools and clubs to inspire them with great sportsmanship stories.
We at Good World News are looking forward to hearing more wonderful stories from Greatsportsmanship.org!
Peace & Love,
Jon
The Good World News