Sports Illustrated on nets for development

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Not basketball or soccer nets, but mosquito nets. The latest from uberfamous sports journalist Rick Reilly:

We need nets. Not hoop nets, soccer nets or lacrosse nets. Not New Jersey Nets or dot-nets or clarinets. Mosquito nets. See, nearly 3,000 kids die every day in Africa from malaria. And according to the World Health Organization, transmission of the disease would be reduced by 60% with the use of mosquito nets and prompt treatment for the infected.

...You're a coach, parent, player, gym teacher or even just a fan who likes watching balls fly into nets, send $20. You saved a life. Take the rest of the day off. You have ever had a net in the driveway, front lawn or on your head at McDonald's, send $20. You ever imagined Angelina Jolie in fishnets, $20. So you stay home and eat on the dinette. You'll live.

…My God, think of all the nets that are taken for granted in sports! Ping-Pong nets. Batting cage nets. Terrell Owens's bassinet. If you sit behind the plate at a baseball game, you watch the action through a net. You download the highlights on Netscape and forward it on the net to your friend Ben-net while eating Raisinets. Sports is nothing but net. So next time you think of a net, go to that website and click yourself happy. Way more fun than your fantasy bowling league, dude.

One last vignette: A few years back, we took the family to Tanzania, which is ravaged by malaria now. We visited a school and played soccer with the kids. Must've been 50 on each team, running and laughing. A taped-up wad of newspapers was the ball and two rocks were the goal. Most fun I ever had getting whupped. When we got home, we sent some balls and nets. I kick myself now for that. How many of those kids are dead because we sent the wrong nets?

A pleasant surprise to see Reilly and Sports Illustrated tackle the issue. Via UN Dispatch.

Rob
April 27, 2006

Of course, every time rich countries donate nets, they provide a disincentive for local businesses to continue producing and selling them. Nets need to be replaced; they are subject to wear and tear and theft just like any non-durable good. Donating nets is a good thing, but what about aid dependency? What happens when the cause-du-jour shifts away from malaria? People are still going to need nets, and the private sector won't be able to provide them. A catch-22 if there ever were one...

Daniel F. Bassill
April 29, 2006

We need NETworks of Purpose, not just a variety of 'nets'. A network of purpose could be a group of football or basketball fans, or

Sports Illustrated readers, or Christians or Muslums or Jews, who get together on internet communities to discuss problems and solutions that persist in differnet parts of the world, and then provide time, talent and dollars over many, many years to solve these programs in one or many places. Visit the Tutor/Mentor Institute at www.tutormentorexchange.net to read about a Network of Purpose focused on helping inner city children move from poverty to jobs.

Until we teach leaders and celebrities and magazine publishers their role in building and sustaining these NETworks, we'll just have random acts of kindness with little persistent solutions to problems.

viki woodworth
May 02, 2006

Dan and Rob,I bet when you look at your cups they all look half empty. My Dad only made me one bat out of a 2 x 4. All my bats after that were special because of the effort of the first. One gift of nets could be priceless.

Few would look at it as the cause du jour.

Nick
May 09, 2006

This is a great repoter and a wonderful article...

Support this @ least $20.00

It is for a great cause

Mick
December 08, 2006

Rob and Dan....always good to know there are people that can find that cloud around a silver lining. If you wait around for the "perfect" answer, a lot of kids will die. We all want problems to go away, but we each learned to walk one step at a time.......buy a net!

Dan Bassill
December 26, 2006

I've spent more than 30 years connecting adult volunteers with inner city kids, in a NET-work of support. If buying a mosquito net is what works for you, do it. There's not doubt that it can save lives.

I'll keep trying to connect volunteers with kids who need many kinds of nets to help them have brighter futures. And I'll hope that in 2007 we can find more dollars and volunteers to support tutor/mentor programs.

Let's hope more people join Pablo, me and others who are working to create brighter futures for kids born in poverty. There's plenty of need to go around.

Curtis Pierre
January 28, 2007

About two years ago my brother, who is a retired high school football coach in Louisiana,introduced me to Rick Reilly's column. My first response upon receiving the latest edition of SI is to find his column. Reilly writes the most entertaining column that I've ever read.

April 27, 2006

Golden State of Mind is not sitting out the playoffs. Says here Yao Ming likely will play in the World Championships. Rick Reilly on nets. 82games.com has some playoff stats going. People not having great playoffs include Mike Bibby,...

April 27, 2006

Golden State of Mind is not sitting out the playoffs. Says here Yao Ming likely will play in the World Championships. Rick Reilly on nets. 82games.com has some playoff stats going. People not having great playoffs include Mike Bibby,...