Photo Credit :Jennifer James

What if I were to tell you that the greatest soccer player ever known started off  by kicking a sock filled with newspaper around the streets of Sao Paulo?  Or that one of our top American basketball stars  bounced around between apartments for the early part of his life while his 16 year old single mother looked for work?   Both Pele and LeBron James  grew up in poverty, but were able to rise above it through sports.  Pele’s father had been a soccer player too, but his son brought his failed dreams of success to fruition a generation later. LeBron was sent to live with an Uncle who introduced him to football, sparking a love of athletics that would take him to the top.  There are numerous stories like theirs. Getting involved in sports has the potential to turn kids lives around, and not only for those who become professional athletes. Read the rest of this entry →