"The real reason why we are here"

Today's crumb comes from an alert reader in Bloomington, Indiana. The 2019 Women's Lacrosse Under 19 World Championships recently were held in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. The Israeli team played Kenya on August 6 and defeated them 13-4. But the Israeli players felt bad that their Kenyan opponents had no cleats on their shoes, which is required equipment. They slipped and slid during the games, but a bond developed between the teams as they played, with lots of smiles, hugs and back-pats.

In the locker room afterwards, three Israeli players asked their parents if they could help buy proper cleated shoes of each member of the Kenyan team. They spoke with coaches and a tournament committee member, who, along with the parents, paid for the shoes. The Kenyan coach gave them the name and shoe size of each player, along with a promise of secrecy. Then each player from the Israeli side had something to give their new friends. Both teams attended each other's games after that, and many lunched together afterward. Goalie Lielle Assayag said, "This is what I'll remember in twenty years. This is the real reason why we are here."