Fugees Update

Back in January, the New York Time published an article about the Fugees, a soccer team from Clarkston, Georgia made up entirely of refugees. At the time, the kids were having difficulty finding a place to play. The Times article seems to have raised awareness, and now things are looking up, as reported on NPR this afternoon.

It's an interesting report to listen to, but one part really got my attention: Mayor Lee Swaney explaining why the field where the students wanted to play was closed to them. Apparently there was a misunderstanding, and the town thought that adult immigrants were part of the Fugees team. It's funny to listen to the mayor explaining, because he keeps going on about how "strange" it is for "grown men" to want to play soccer. Well, that's a completely normal thing in some parts of the world. It's not unheard of here for "grown men" to get together for basketball, softball, touch football, or any old kind of sport. In most of the rest of the world, soccer is the game of choice.

Now I suppose I can understand keeping a field for "youth use" only, especially if there are a number of possible playing fields around town. But in many countries, people are accustomed to just picking up and playing wherever there's enough grass available.

I'm glad they're taking care of the kids, but there should be a place for the men to play as well --- or grown women, even. Imagine. And wouldn't we all be healthier if we'd get out and run around and play on a regular basis? I know I would.