One of the coolest things about any sort of sport is the way that it can provide avenues for connecting communities and bringing unparalleled joy. And it looks like baseball has done some of that recently.
Sunday evening, I was scrolling through Twitter when I came across a pretty heartwarming video. In said video, Chris Lemonis and his Mississippi State baseball team were seen warmly embracing another group of athletes I wasn’t familiar with.
Those athletes happened to be a part of The Miracle League. For those who aren’t familiar, The Miracle League “removes the barriers that keep children with mental and physical disabilities,” according to its about page. They’re doing some pretty cool work.
As also noted in The Miracle League, all of the fields that are played on are customized for these occasions.
“Miracle League teams play on a custom-designed, rubberized turf field that accommodates wheelchairs and other assertive devices while helping to prevent injuries,” the about page notes.
The Miracle League also focuses on ensuring that athletes are able to truly enjoy their experience. How do they do that? Well, they focus on relationships and team work. There’s a pretty cool system in play here.
“The Miracle League is about making new friends, building self-esteem and being treated just like other athletes. To help the athletes, the Miracle League uses a “buddy” system – pairing each player with an able-bodied peer. The result is a bond that cannot be described,” as is noted in the about page.
And that creates some really cool opportunities for inclusion. Like this:
This is just incredible stuff. The Miracle League is truly doing some incredible work and this show of support is awesome to see.
I honestly don’t know what all went into the planning of this event or how this came to be. I have no information on the occasion. I have looked around to see what information is available about this, but so far I haven’t found anything. There are some great storytellers at the university and this sure seems like a great story to share.
If you’d like to learn more about The Miracle League, please click here. If you’d like to support this important mission, please click here.
Side note, I have reached out to MSU’s athletic department to find out more about what’s going on with this one. This is just too cool of a story to not try and learn more. I’ll update this story if/when I hear back.
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