daily blog

As I casually strolled across the dingy Boston playing field on a brisk Sunday afternoon the winds began to whip through my jacket and the words watch your step scrolled across my mind as I carefully navigated through the debris that is a part of many urban ball fields , broken glass, geese droppings, etc. Wait a minute is that human feces? I finally made it to the sideline set up my portable sports chair and got ready to watch an M2Sports flag football game between the Giants and the Eagles. The only reason I was at this game was to watch my son Tony aka “Tadow” along with the rest of his Giant teammates “H8me, Sho Nuff, Killa, Toby, Javafi,Jeebies, El Negro, Phil, Cbert and P.T compete.

Before the game started the first thing I noticed was how diverse the teams were, there were men of all racial, social, religious and economic backgrounds playing side by side or as opposition. The formation of the league was the brainchild of Mario Lopez a Latino brother who had the vision to create a format where men can be men have fun, stay in shape and release the stress of daily living at least once a week and have the freedom to unleash their alter ego’s with names like K-Dogg, Speedy, Mr. Puerto Rico etc. It was great to see such a diverse collection of men gathered together.

The game finally began and immediately there was a lot of trash talking, this was my first time attending the games, so the language assault I experienced caught me off guard, I was sure someone was going to take the comments out of context and blows would be thrown, this was definitely not a PG-13 event and don’t get it twisted just because it’s a flag football league, this sports is not for little boys, hits on the sideline are legal and people can and do get cracked, much to the delight of the crowd on run backs or blocking at the line. Both teams spent a fair amount of time and energy trading verbal air assaults from ethnic put downs to the questioning of “Manhood” for everyone to hear and laugh at on the sidelines. The contest was intense and went back and forth the Giants scored first then the Eagles and this pattern lasted over two hours, until “Tadow” scored the game winning touchdown. What happened at the conclusion of the game is what really impressed me, I just knew that after all the jarring that took place the end of the game would be the opportunity for someone to over react to something that was said and blow it out of proportion, as I watched the teams walk toward each other at midfield, the teams simply shook hands, embraced, laughed, shared water and a genuine respect for their brothers after all it was just a game they left their differences on the football field.

At that very moment I pondered the following, why can’t these same men who represent something larger than themselves come together for a common cause away from the playing field and take that same passion and energy back to the community to help tear down the walls that separate us and make a difference? What is it that keeps our neighborhoods segregated once they exit the playing surface? After the games are over, the blacks will go their way and hang out with the blacks, the Latino’s will hang with the Latino’s and so on for the white males. It’s been said that sports serves as a microcosm of the larger society in many ways, but it’s ironic that the same people who can spend hours together as teammates or engaged in healthy competition go their separate ways and live in different worlds once the games end. Imagine how powerful it would be to see these same men standing side by side leading voter registration drives, mentoring programs, policing the block to make the hood safe, visiting classrooms, and juvenile detention centers. They would be excellent role models in demonstrating to our youth that beneath the obvious differences of color and race we can get along. On the playing fields diversity is what helps a team come together, the successful teams adopt the philosophy of inclusion and appreciation of variety and they figure out how to make those differences work together for a common goal, “winning”. Yet that same approach is rarely seen in other area’s politics, education, religion and employment to name a few.

Perhaps one day we will find a way to make society a microcosm of sports, rather than the other way around.

Tony Price

A Boston Based Collegaite Athletics Administrator and Head Basketball Coach. A Hall of Fame Inductee(Worcester State College) with 20 plus years experience as an athlete, coach, and administrator.

General

Forex Easy Cash – The name itself suggests that this could be one of the programs that could allow you to make money off Forex Markets rather easily! Lot of techniques explained in this program, can be very helpful for beginners. Trust me, as a newbie to the world of Forex trading, you would be at a loss of ideas on how to step ahead. It is here that Chris Williams has decided to help out. With his experience in Forex Trading, he has designed a program that would benefit newcomers for them to make money off the Forex Markets. More than anything, a good amount of knowledge and experience in Forex Markets is guaranteed.

The Forex Easy Cash has been voted “Decent” by a lot of people who have used this product. While they vote customer service as one of the major area of opportunity, they say that using Forex Easy Cash is relatively risk-free. All instructions are well explained and the program works amazingly well.

A lot of people though have not had an impressive run with this software. On the other hand, some have appreciated the simple nature on which the program works. Mostly these are beginners who are looking out for some information and knowledge to help them trade in Forex Markets. This product has a 90-day money back guarantee. The best you could do is – Buy this product, and if you are not satisfied return it (Within 90 days of purchase of course).

Content

This course starts with an education given to the readers on the risks and the prospects of Forex Trading in detail. As a beginner to Forex Trading, you may not all these details completely as yet. Chris Williams transitions you then into the various terminologies normally used in Forex Trading. This is where you gain a lot of information, something that could be useful for you when you start using the program. Trust this program to be used pretty regularly by a person who buys it, and to use it knowledge of the terminologies is important.

Do you have any experience in the Forex Markets at all? If you do not have the experience, no problem as Chris’ book takes you through information in detail that will more than help you in understanding the dynamics of Forex Markets. Pictorial representation of the content enables easier understanding of the content. With such a feature, you would never complain of not understanding content, even if you were a beginner.

The expert advisor software is a great tool that automates the process of determining and evaluating market conditions. Please note doing these is important for a successful Forex Trade. Additionally, the software itself provides a lot of content that can only help you in your Forex Trading efforts. Installing this software is rather easy! All you have to do is download the software on to your personal computer or laptop just the one time when you have purchased the product. Easy instructions and easy-to-understand content provided in this program will never get you seeing the other way with this system in front of you.

Effectiveness

Some aspects like the usage of the program and the user interface still need to be worked on. While these remain as areas of opportunities for the product, one cannot challenge the results using this product gives to its users. With that being said, some people have had some issues getting familiar with the user interface, something that must be looked into rather soon.

With the Forex Easy Cash software, one thing is taken – You can get results if and only if, you are willing to spend some time. You should be able to devote at least 1-2 hours at the start to ensure grasp all what’s been told to you. Importantly, you should want to learn the tips of the Forex Markets. Remember, if you are new to Forex markets, there is still some way for you to go before you get 100% knowledge on the market dynamics. And while you learn, the expert advisor software makes it easy for you in taking decisions by cutting down a lot of risks that are associated with Forex trading. A combination of how much you are willing to learn and the easy execution done by the expert advisor software will be good enough for you to get earning money off the Forex markets.

It surely is not one of the most sophisticated software to use in the market. One thing is for sure though – It is highly effective when it comes to Forex Trading! With that being said, please note you may have some initial difficulty getting used to the software. Spend some time with the software, and I am sure you would get used to the software.

Rating: 8/10

Is Forex Easy Cash the best Forex manual out there? Go NOW to our review of some of the most popular forex trading strategies out there. Do they offer real value or are they just a waste of time and money?

It seems like all you hear about these days is how people are going crazy over these forex robots that have become so en vogue. But do they actually work? Think about it! In all this time that you’ve read about them in forums, chat rooms, etc….. have you ever know anybody who had success with them trading in a real (not demo) account? My guess is you haven’t.

Have you ever noticed that the ones you do hear about having success in the demo accounts, the moment they are traded on a real account with real money, the account crashes. Funny how that works, huh?

The fact is that I, not only wouldn’t trust the robot to trade for me, but I wouldn’t trust the broker I am using the forex robot on. Forex brokers (all brokers for that matter) are renowned for their questionable trading policies (e.g. hunting for stop losses), so you could imagine all the questionable tactics they could use on trading robot, which is something you have no control over.

Also, the fact that some automated system can tell you where the market is going to go is absurd. The market is too complicated for a machine to follow blindly based on the parameters of the developer. You think a forex robot has any idea what to do if the Fed comes out and lowers interest rates by half of a point instead of a quarter of a point. It would have no idea. This is something that they just cannot simulate.

John Templeton has been a successful forex trader after learning how to trade price action. Once he understood that all he needed to trade forex was on a plain chart with no indicators, his profits soared. You too could learn how to trade.

You see a lot of Forex trading systems online that claim that there complicated mathematical formulas can beat the market but this is not true for one simple reason.

Fact – Forex markets do not move to a mathematical theory which you can predict forex price movement with and the rest of this article will explain why, give the proof and show you a better way to win with your forex trading strategy.

You will hear a lot of traders telling you maths works and that gurus theories such as Gann, Elliot and Fibonacci are scientific and mathematical ways of doing trading but the definition of a mathematical theory is:

It works ALL the time not now and again!

The theories just mentioned don’t and neither do any other mathematical theories – its rubbish to say forex markets move to mathematics.

You often see systems sold that say they work to complex mathematical algorithms or were devised by a wiz kid – but look at the track record and what do you see?

A made up track record in hindsight, using closing data and knowing everything that happened! Well that’s not hard to do, anyone can make a profit if they know tomorrows price today but that’s not real life. Real life is – trading without knowing the price.

The track records are simply bent to show a profit, on the data segment studied and the more it’s bent, the more unlikely it is to work in real time, as no two segments of data ever repeat exactly.

If You Want to Win at Forex Remember this:

The markets don’t move to some mystical law that repeats exactly – but they do move on probability and by trading high odds set ups, you may not win every time but you will win more than you lose and with sound money management you can win long term.

The key is to use a simple odds based method, as simple systems always work best, as they have fewer elements to break in the brutal world that is forex trading.

Think About this key Point

In 100 years despite all the advances in computers, forecasting and speed of communications, we have seen no increase in the number of winning traders and this goes to show that complicated mathematics and fancy theories do not increase the odds of success.

A Simple Way to Succeed

Success in forex trading is dependant on a simple robust forex trading system, combined with discipline and sound money management; this has always been so and always will be.

NEW! 2 X FREE ESSENTIAL TRADER PDFS ESSENTIAL FOREX TRADING COURSE

For free 2 x trading Pdf’s, with 50 of pages of essential info on how to Become a Forex Trader visit our website at: http://www.learncurrencytradingonline.com

As you know, the markets aren’t good right now. People are scared. Every day we watch wild swings and it’s all we can do as investors not to dig a hole in our backyards and bury our money. But not all markets are bad. Many investors are turning to the foreign exchange commonly know as Forex for profit opportunities.

If you don’t have a lot of experience with Forex the trouble is conquering the learning curve. But there are ways to master the learning curve easily and quickly, in fact, you can do it immediately and that starts with a Forex trading robot, bot for short.

What are Forex Robots?

Put simply: a Forex bot is mathematical software that scans the foreign exchange for profit opportunities and makes trades on your behalf. A Forex bot can do the work of a hundred individual stock brokers. Brokers would have to spend hundreds of man hours scanning through mountains of financial to find quality stock picks guaranteed to earn investors a profit. A Forex trading bot runs on your machine and does the same work of a hundreds brokers and does it in a fraction of the time. You can turn it on and do other things while your robot does the picking and trading work for you.

Do Forex Robots really work?

Yes, they work. However, be careful. They are some bad Forex bots out there. I link to one of the top bots out there at the end of this article. I’ve fully tested it with success. It works. But don’t take my word for it. Try the demo version and run some hypothetical picks in demo mode. Would you have made money? Run test picks for a couple weeks and discover your success rate. Is it high? If so, you now know your Forex bot works.

Is this expensive?

No. It used to be. In fact, stock pick software used to be so costly only the biggest investment and trading firms could afford to have it. Thanks to the internet and a dedicated group of traders who are also programmers the Forex bot can be had for about the cost of dinner and drinks. It’s cheap and well worth the investment because Forex bots work so efficiently and with so much success.

Discover more about Forex Trading Bots right now. You can start earning profit immediately. http://www.pagex.com/forex-bot

There are many different software being developed lately to automate trading in Forex. They are able to trade currencies without needing a person to execute trades. Automated trading is a field that began emerging not long ago.

Automated trading has number of advantages over manual trading. Such advantages for example are:

It is executed by computer. Today information technology and computer science are developed to a very high standards. Computer can perform thousand calculations while human performs only one. It work outs logical computations without error and stores memory at incredible speed.

Automatic trading takes emotions out of your trading. It will never make decisions driven by greed and fear. The software never hesitates to take a trade or close a position. All the trades are based on set rules and criteria that eliminate the human psychological errors.

Trading software can take trades day and night without weariness. It frees a trader from the necessity to be glued to his trading charts all the time. Once a successful trading system is developed and optimized into a trading robot it can be left to run independently.

On the other hand automated Forex trading robots have a major flow. They do not have the “feel” for market as a human trader does. If trading software is making profit once market conditions change it may start loosing money. That kind of change can be perceived only by a human eye. For example if behavior of the currency pair was predominantly trending and a trading robot was making profit. Once that currency pair becomes mostly ranging trading robot will lose money in such market.

Here is my personal experience with automated Forex robots. In the beginning of my trading experience with them I was constantly failing. My equity curve looked like a trajectory of falling rock. The only problem for me was that over time those programs and Expert Advisors stop making profit as they did it before.

I tried different kinds of software and Expert Advisors. Finally found what I was looking for. I have posted my trading results with this one at Forex automatic robots. I gave more detailed overview as well as trading results on Metatrader platform.

Also I highly recommend you to visit Forex-Opportunity.info to learn more about automated Forex trading. At least sign up for a newsletter to get a comprehensive trading advice

As I casually strolled across the dingy Boston playing field on a brisk Sunday afternoon the winds began to whip through my jacket and the words watch your step scrolled across my mind as I carefully navigated through the debris that is a part of many urban ball fields , broken glass, geese droppings, etc. Wait a minute is that human feces? I finally made it to the sideline set up my portable sports chair and got ready to watch an M2Sports flag football game between the Giants and the Eagles. The only reason I was at this game was to watch my son Tony aka “Tadow” along with the rest of his Giant teammates “H8me, Sho Nuff, Killa, Toby, Javafi,Jeebies, El Negro, Phil, Cbert and P.T compete.

Before the game started the first thing I noticed was how diverse the teams were, there were men of all racial, social, religious and economic backgrounds playing side by side or as opposition. The formation of the league was the brainchild of Mario Lopez a Latino brother who had the vision to create a format where men can be men have fun, stay in shape and release the stress of daily living at least once a week and have the freedom to unleash their alter ego’s with names like K-Dogg, Speedy, Mr. Puerto Rico etc. It was great to see such a diverse collection of men gathered together.

The game finally began and immediately there was a lot of trash talking, this was my first time attending the games, so the language assault I experienced caught me off guard, I was sure someone was going to take the comments out of context and blows would be thrown, this was definitely not a PG-13 event and don’t get it twisted just because it’s a flag football league, this sports is not for little boys, hits on the sideline are legal and people can and do get cracked, much to the delight of the crowd on run backs or blocking at the line. Both teams spent a fair amount of time and energy trading verbal air assaults from ethnic put downs to the questioning of “Manhood” for everyone to hear and laugh at on the sidelines. The contest was intense and went back and forth the Giants scored first then the Eagles and this pattern lasted over two hours, until “Tadow” scored the game winning touchdown. What happened at the conclusion of the game is what really impressed me, I just knew that after all the jarring that took place the end of the game would be the opportunity for someone to over react to something that was said and blow it out of proportion, as I watched the teams walk toward each other at midfield, the teams simply shook hands, embraced, laughed, shared water and a genuine respect for their brothers after all it was just a game they left their differences on the football field.

At that very moment I pondered the following, why can’t these same men who represent something larger than themselves come together for a common cause away from the playing field and take that same passion and energy back to the community to help tear down the walls that separate us and make a difference? What is it that keeps our neighborhoods segregated once they exit the playing surface? After the games are over, the blacks will go their way and hang out with the blacks, the Latino’s will hang with the Latino’s and so on for the white males. It’s been said that sports serves as a microcosm of the larger society in many ways, but it’s ironic that the same people who can spend hours together as teammates or engaged in healthy competition go their separate ways and live in different worlds once the games end. Imagine how powerful it would be to see these same men standing side by side leading voter registration drives, mentoring programs, policing the block to make the hood safe, visiting classrooms, and juvenile detention centers. They would be excellent role models in demonstrating to our youth that beneath the obvious differences of color and race we can get along. On the playing fields diversity is what helps a team come together, the successful teams adopt the philosophy of inclusion and appreciation of variety and they figure out how to make those differences work together for a common goal, “winning”. Yet that same approach is rarely seen in other area’s politics, education, religion and employment to name a few.

Perhaps one day we will find a way to make society a microcosm of sports, rather than the other way around.

Tony Price

A Boston Based Collegaite Athletics Administrator and Head Basketball Coach. A Hall of Fame Inductee(Worcester State College) with 20 plus years experience as an athlete, coach, and administrator.

It time again to revisit alternative financing strategies for business owners needing money. Whether your business needs capital to grow, meet payroll, or to just simply survive, there are numerous alternatives for your company when banks so ‘NO’.

Personal loans are no longer viable options for business owners. Banks have tightened their purse strings on personal credit just as they have with business credit. This tightening typically does not have anything to do with the state of your credit or the value of your collateral. But more reflects their past indiscretions with their depositors’ money. Further, most business owners, over the last two or three years, have already encumbered all of their personal assets, leaving nothing of value to collateralize.

The following lists many alternatives that may still be available to your business. These alternatives allow business owners to capitalize on their previous hard work; be it from building relationships with suppliers and other business partners to closing sales and building a strong customer base:

Using Your Business Relationships!

Trade Credit: It never hurts to work with your suppliers. Ask for better terms; either more discounts or longer time for payment. Here you can reduce your overall costs or allow more time to collect money from your customer before payment is due to these suppliers. Now, your suppliers may baulk at this discussion as they are probably feeling the same pinch as you are. However, impress upon them that it does their business no good (short term or long-term) if you go out of business, have to cut back your standard orders, or are forced to find other suppliers who offer better terms.

In conjunction with trade credit, do all that you can to collect your receivables from your customers, as soon as possible. If your suppliers offer you discounts for early payment, offer the same to your customers (just maybe not at the same magnitude) or offer discounts for cash. This allows you to collect payments faster as well as reduce you costs by paying less for the goods you need to run your business. Just remember, in this type of economy, cash is king.

Using The Strength of Your Customers!

Receivables and/or Purchase Orders: If your business has accounts receivables sitting on its book just waiting to be collected, you maybe able to get cash for those assets NOW. There are cash advance companies (not banks) that specialize in purchasing your receivables. Companies like Bridgeport Capital Service, RTS Financial Services, or Paragon Financial Group. These companies will purchase your invoices for up to 90% of their amount. They will then work with your customers to collect these receivables (saving you both time and money on collection). When the invoices are paid, these companies will refund to you the remaining 10% of the invoice amount. This type of funding is great for struggling companies as these cash advance businesses will focus more on your customers’ credit and business strengths than your.

Many of these same companies will also finance your purchase orders. If you place an order with your suppliers and agree to pay for their goods over time, these cash advance companies will finance these agreements. This could allow your business the opportunity to take advantage of trade discounts (percentages off the purchase amount) as your company will have immediate cash to satisfy your supplier. This is very similar to having a line of credit with your bank but as an individual credit facility for each purchase.

Credit Cards: I not saying go out and get more credit cards. If your business accepts credit cards, there are companies (again, not banks) that may advance cash to your company based on your FUTURE credit card receipts. These facilities are only paid back when your business generates credit card sales. Thus, if you have a slow month, you are not stuck with a huge monthly loan payment. As your credit card sales ebb and flow, your repayment of these advances will ebb and flow in tandem.

Using Your Character!

Need just a small amount of cash to get you by? Try social lending sites like All World Private Funding!, Zopa, Prosper, or Lending Club. These sites create peer-to-peer lending in which ordinary people, who have additional cash, can review your request and contribute to the funding of your loan. The benefits of these programs include getting the money you need, possible lower rates and better terms than most banks offer, and you get to tell your story directly to the lenders.

Similarly, there is Micro-Credit companies. The largest in the US and around the world is ACCION USA. Micro-finance companies limit their total out lay to a maximum of $25,000 per loan. However, most micro-credit funders like to build relationships first with their borrowers. Thus, they may only approve smaller amounts in the beginning and increase your loan amount as you pay back each facility. These companies will also work with startup firms or those that have been turned down by traditional banks and other financial institutions.

Never forget your friends and family. These are the people who know you best and may better understand what you are trying to do with your business. There are many cons with borrowing money from those closest to you but new companies like Virgin Money will help you manage this new relationship. Companies like Virgin will help you keep everything in a business like manner.

Now, while there is a lot of focus these days on traditional banks, most communities also have Credit Unions. Credit Unions are not-for-profit organizations. Thus, they do not have to worry about Wall Street or shareholders. While the majority of Credit Unions have yet to fully adopt commercial lending departments, they should have lending programs in place that will meet your business needs.

Some of these alternative options maybe a little more expensive, overall, then having a single credit facility with a bank. But, they are a sure fire way of leading your company through our current credit drought. The key to success is to do your homework. Find the program that best fits your needs and that will provide the greatest benefit at the lowest cost to your business. Some business owners tend to panic a bit when they begin to feel the credit pinch. It is only natural as raising money for your business is time consuming, time that can hardly be spared in these trying times. But, remember to think about the long term. Don’t just settle on the first source that gets approved, find the best fore you. Be diligent!

Joseph Lizio holds A MBA in Finance and is founder and owner of http://www.businessmoneytoday.com

You can of course buy one of the heavily advertised automated forex trading systems online – but this one is simple to understand, free and made savvy traders millions and all you need to know about it is enclosed…

Let’s start with the ones you can buy and most have nothing to offer apart from fancy packaging and hyped copy, to appeal to greed.

They lack the basic requirement you need and that’s having made a profit. Check the track records and there normally just paper simulations done backwards!

Well that’s not real dollars and if you want a robot you want one that’s Made real dollars and the free one we are going to look at has.

Real Profits for Over 20 Years

The system has been used since the late seventies by serious traders and was devised by Richard Donchian who is considered the grandfather of trend following.

He left some great free info for traders to use and his 4 Week Rule automated trading system, is simple – but don’t believe it doesn’t make profits it has and still does. Let’s take a look at it.

The Rule

This is a one rule trading system which holds a position in the market at all times and this is the rule to execute your trading signals to.

Buy a new 4 week calendar high and reverse this position to a short position on a new 4 week calendar low – that’s the rule and it’s very simple!

Now you may be saying that’s too simple to work but all the best forex trading systems are simple but it works on logic which is valid and here it is.

Trade Breakouts

Almost all the big trends start or continue from new market highs or lows and by getting in on them, you are getting in on the big trends.

Currencies Trend Long Term

They reflect the underlying health of the country they represent so this means long trends of months or years and this system will get you a good chunk of the profits they produce.

You then have a couple of other very important advantages:

- Its objective you don’t have to think about the signal you just do it

- Its extremely time efficient and only takes about 15 minutes a day

So is the system perfect?
Of course not all systems have a weakness and this one is no exception.

When currencies don’t trend, it will generate losing signals but you can add a filter and exit on a one or two week high or low, go flat and wait for the next signal or you can use a short term moving average. This smoothes the equity curve but whichever way you choose long term this system makes profits.

The best forex trading systems are simple and this one is and don’t believe the vendors who try and sell you software with fancy names, clever packaging and a made up track record, go for the real deal and that’s a system, that’s still used after 25 years and is at the heart of many a successful forex trading strategy.

You don’t get much for free in life but Richard Donchian has left something for free, that is valuable, easy to understand and can help any trader seek currency trading success in just 15 minutes a day.

NEW! 2 X FREE ESSENTIAL TRADER PDFS
ESSENTIAL FOREX TRADING COURSE

For free 2 x trading Pdf’s and more on the best FREE Forex Trading System and an exclusive risk free Currency trading Course visit our website.

As I casually strolled across the dingy Boston playing field on a brisk Sunday afternoon the winds began to whip through my jacket and the words watch your step scrolled across my mind as I carefully navigated through the debris that is a part of many urban ball fields , broken glass, geese droppings, etc. Wait a minute is that human feces? I finally made it to the sideline set up my portable sports chair and got ready to watch an M2Sports flag football game between the Giants and the Eagles. The only reason I was at this game was to watch my son Tony aka “Tadow” along with the rest of his Giant teammates “H8me, Sho Nuff, Killa, Toby, Javafi,Jeebies, El Negro, Phil, Cbert and P.T compete.

Before the game started the first thing I noticed was how diverse the teams were, there were men of all racial, social, religious and economic backgrounds playing side by side or as opposition. The formation of the league was the brainchild of Mario Lopez a Latino brother who had the vision to create a format where men can be men have fun, stay in shape and release the stress of daily living at least once a week and have the freedom to unleash their alter ego’s with names like K-Dogg, Speedy, Mr. Puerto Rico etc. It was great to see such a diverse collection of men gathered together.

The game finally began and immediately there was a lot of trash talking, this was my first time attending the games, so the language assault I experienced caught me off guard, I was sure someone was going to take the comments out of context and blows would be thrown, this was definitely not a PG-13 event and don’t get it twisted just because it’s a flag football league, this sports is not for little boys, hits on the sideline are legal and people can and do get cracked, much to the delight of the crowd on run backs or blocking at the line. Both teams spent a fair amount of time and energy trading verbal air assaults from ethnic put downs to the questioning of “Manhood” for everyone to hear and laugh at on the sidelines. The contest was intense and went back and forth the Giants scored first then the Eagles and this pattern lasted over two hours, until “Tadow” scored the game winning touchdown. What happened at the conclusion of the game is what really impressed me, I just knew that after all the jarring that took place the end of the game would be the opportunity for someone to over react to something that was said and blow it out of proportion, as I watched the teams walk toward each other at midfield, the teams simply shook hands, embraced, laughed, shared water and a genuine respect for their brothers after all it was just a game they left their differences on the football field.

At that very moment I pondered the following, why can’t these same men who represent something larger than themselves come together for a common cause away from the playing field and take that same passion and energy back to the community to help tear down the walls that separate us and make a difference? What is it that keeps our neighborhoods segregated once they exit the playing surface? After the games are over, the blacks will go their way and hang out with the blacks, the Latino’s will hang with the Latino’s and so on for the white males. It’s been said that sports serves as a microcosm of the larger society in many ways, but it’s ironic that the same people who can spend hours together as teammates or engaged in healthy competition go their separate ways and live in different worlds once the games end. Imagine how powerful it would be to see these same men standing side by side leading voter registration drives, mentoring programs, policing the block to make the hood safe, visiting classrooms, and juvenile detention centers. They would be excellent role models in demonstrating to our youth that beneath the obvious differences of color and race we can get along. On the playing fields diversity is what helps a team come together, the successful teams adopt the philosophy of inclusion and appreciation of variety and they figure out how to make those differences work together for a common goal, “winning”. Yet that same approach is rarely seen in other area’s politics, education, religion and employment to name a few.

Perhaps one day we will find a way to make society a microcosm of sports, rather than the other way around.

Tony Price

A Boston Based Collegaite Athletics Administrator and Head Basketball Coach. A Hall of Fame Inductee(Worcester State College) with 20 plus years experience as an athlete, coach, and administrator.