The Little League World Series has become a yearly showcase displaying how a sport can bring some of the world's best young athletes, the world's hope for the future, together in a highly competitive atmosphere while employing sportsmanship and understanding between all the participants.
That's fine you may think, but other sports do the same thing in their own realm, so what's the big deal? Baseball, of and in itself, is not the big deal, but it is a cog in a massive machine which we fail to realize its size and impact.
This fact was recently driven home when two (2) intense enemies, countries whose conflict could conceivably result in the end of the world through nuclear destruction, joined forces to combat the Olympic rules committee.
Since 1979 tensions between Iran and the United States have been, to say the least, strained.
In recent years both countries have played "Chicken" with world peace and by doing so have completely severed any line of communication between the two.
Except one.
Wrestling, not Saturday night Raw, but real wrestling is a major sport in both countries.
Iran considers it to be the nation's premier sport, historically the only international sport they excel at.
In the United States every high school, whether rural, urban, rich or poor have a wrestling team.
The sport may not enjoy media exposure, but there are 10,000's of participants and followers.
For several years the United States and Iran have secretively, through whatever "politic means" deemed necessary to allow both countries to strut around like a peacock, have allowed each others wrestling team into their countries in order to compete in International competitions.
Yes, you heard me correctly.
We've had Iranian wrestling on our soil and U.
S.
wrestlers have been on their sand.
In my opinion, today's Olympic rules committee members are corrupt and too easily swayed from the historic and traditional values of Olympic sports by the media.
However, through their apparent ignorance, if the world seizes the opportunity, they may have opened the door to an avenue for a better understanding of countries and cultures, which results in peace.
The banning of wrestling, one of the initial Olympic sporting events created in ancient Greece 1000's of years ago, has brought 2 mortal enemies together to scream foul.
I think my opinion of the committee and its' decisions are pretty apparent, but the real story is Iran and the U.
S joining forces to fight a common injustice.
Scholars and career politicians will mock my excitement and declare it too simplified to a very complex issue and they may be right, but what if they're not.
I, having been one and having played with and against athletes who felt losing was not an option and without hesitation subjected your body to possible permanent injury in the name of the game, was perfectly acceptable.
Yet, I've never known of an opposing team killing their rivals after a heart breaking loss.
It's never even contemplated, unless there's some underlying political motive or the person's crazy.
So what would be so terribly wrong with allowing people, men and women, who are cut from the same cloth of being overachieving, unselfish, fierce competitors and yet gracious losers to become more involved in the running of countries? The only down side I see to this proposal is the fact the people running sports associations will probably run for the hills declining the new responsibilities.
Not because they're afraid, but they know the B.
S.
which would accompany the promotion.
I still think sports can save the world if politicians would let it.