Loading ...Because Baseball Named Winner of the 2020 Leaders Sports Community Award
By: Hunter Vaughan/Arab America Contributing Writer
What does it take to build up community? How does one break down barriers that separate us from one another? Kemp Gouldin and his organization Because Baseball seem to have figured out the secret formula, and spoiler alert, it’s not as complex as one might think.
Because Baseball brings people together through baseball, reviving the beloved sport in the land of the Pharaohs.
It’s part of the reason why Because Baseball was recently named winner of the 2020 Leaders Sports Community Award. The Community Award, in partnership with Facebook, seeks out and celebrates an organization that is using sport to bring a community together. “It’s tremendously gratifying to see the hard work of so many people pay off,” said Gouldin. “This award is the culmination of innumerable contributions from our supporters, volunteers, and participants.”
The group began work in 2017 with a simple objective – bring baseball back to Egypt.
In 1914, the Chicago White Sox traveled to Cairo, taking on the New York Giants in an exhibition game.
As the next century passed, the game of baseball seemingly abandoned the Arab world. Meanwhile the sport connected communities and healed divides across the United States, Latin America, and Asia, leaving individuals like Kemp to ask why that couldn’t be replicated elsewhere.
Thus began the pursuit of bringing baseball back to Egypt.
In its first two full years, Because Baseball has grown from a small spring training of 40 kids and their parents to a multifaceted initiative that includes the first Major League Baseball youth affiliate in the Middle East as well as weekly programs for orphanages and special-needs communities in the Cairo region.
With the ideas of respect, inclusivity and friendship at its foundation, Because Baseball is able to break down barriers on the baseball diamond and increase connectivity in Cairo and abroad. Every time an Egyptian youth and an American coach play catch, a bond is formed. Every time an Egyptian girl and boy put on the same team uniform a friendship is born.
Building community starts by overcoming differences and bridging gaps that have divided people by nationality, socioeconomic status, or worldviews for too long. Because Baseball does just that, not by ignoring differences, but instead celebrating commonalities.
Other organizations across the world are taking notice of the work being done and have begun celebrating these commonalities as well. In September of 2019, the Washington Nationals partnered with Because Baseball to host MLB’s first-ever Arab Heritage Night. On this historic evening, the Nationals celebrated the Arab community and its contributions to both the Washington DC area and the game of baseball – even honoring Joe Lahoud, the first Major League Player of Arab descent.
Since its inception, Because Baseball has made it clear that its goal is for baseball to become organic in Egypt, meaning that the game isn’t tethered to the presence of any specific organization. With each passing day the groundwork for that goal is being laid.
“From the start, our vision has been to make baseball sustainable in Egypt and the Middle East at large,” said Gouldin. “By building the sport at a grassroots level, we are equipping the next generation of players and coaches in the region to flourish for years to come.”
To achieve this, Because Baseball has implemented a train-the-trainers approach, building up the next generation of coaches, PE teachers, and volunteer roles that will be crucial in ensuring the sustainable growth of baseball in Egypt.
It is only a matter of time before a Major League All-Star emerges from the shadow of the pyramids.
So, what does it take to build up community? Just ask the team at Because Baseball. They’ll tell you all you need is a ball and a glove.
Because Baseball is fully funded by private donations and gifts. To support their friendship-building work in the Arab world, CLICK HERE,
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Hunter Vaughan is a Morehead-Cain Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill studying Business Administration and Public Policy. From playing baseball his entire life to managing concessions stands and umpiring at the local little league, Hunter grew up around the game and knows firsthand how powerful it is in bringing people together. He is from Bermuda Run, North Carolina, and can be found on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/nhuntervaughan.
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