competing thoughts

Here is the film pitch , description, and approach we submitted to WGBH for Competing Thoughts. Description This is the first in a series of video essays drawing from my research on competition. I'll use pickup soccer, a game I've enjoyed for 25 years, as a microcosm of competition in our increasingly global culture. A rare hub of race, class, and sometimes gender, pickup soccer is arguably one of the most diverse gatherings in Boston. And it strikes a rare balance between competition and cooperation. This sort of balance doesn't exist in other forms of competing I've experienced: in my family, school, workplace, and just about everywhere else. In this film I'll discuss the pros and cons of competition, and alternatives to it. Style or Approach My reflections on soccer and mixed feelings about competition will be the thematic center of the film. I'll weave in quotes, interviews, and audio from people on all sides of the debate: educators, economis...

There are some great social change efforts built around soccer: Soccer Without Borders , a group based in San Fransisco whose mission is to "expand the potential of soccer as a vehicle for positive change in the lives of marginalized youth."  Mondiali Antirazzisti , the Antiracist World Cup.  Grassroot Soccer , which "uses the power of soccer in the fight against AIDS" primarily in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia, and Botswana.  Soccer in the Streets, based in Atlanta, "teaches less advantaged kids to make positive choices in life so as to better themselves, their families and communities through soccer."