In Seattle, the newest Pro soccer team (the Sounders) to join Major League Soccer (MLS) has already been using Fair Trade Sports balls in their outreach to their Pacific Northwest fans. This new professional team is transitioning from a relatively minor role in soccer to major league! Though their professional games don't start until 2009, the Sounders are already making choices that we love.

The Seattle Soccer Show held promotions with the Sounders Legion to introduce them to the quality of Fair Trade Soccer balls. Some members of the Legion walked away with our soccer balls as prizes, handed to them by members of the Sounder's team! Pictured below is Laura Opatkiewicz, Andrew Opatkiewicz and Clay Walton-House.

This is a fun way to get everyone involved with Fair Trade education. Fair Trade spreads like wildfire - the more the fans demand it, the more teams turn to Fair Trade sports equipment. And the more teams we get to "play fair", the more clubs and leagues will turn to certified Fair Trade sports equipment, making a direct positive impact on the lives of the stitchers halfway across the world.

The Seattle Soccer Show also shares affiliation with Fair Trade Sports to promote Fair Trade equipment in local soccer clubs. Local soccer clubs buy thousands of balls a year. Can you imagine the impact their sales would have if they chose Fair Trade?

Best of all, with our Fair Trade Sports discounts, almost any club can afford to make the ethical choice to turn to certified Fair Trade balls. Encourage the coaches you know you make the switch; the players, fans, and producers all win in the game of Fair Trade!

I grew up poring over every issue of Outside Magazine I could get my hands on. I've always had a passion for the outdoors and every possible sport you could pursue there, especially anything related to a board or a bike. So I was pleasantly surprised to pick up a copy of the magazine in the San Francisco airport and find our product on the first page of their Ultimate Gift Guide.

Be sure to pick up their current issue with Michael Phelps on the cover. Here's a sneak peek of my favorite page:

The International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) and Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) of India recently released a report that details the extensive use of child labor in the production of soccer balls in two villages in India. The report claims that as many as ten major companies use the children in these villages to manufacture their soccer balls. All this despite the fact that the sporting goods industry supposedly put a stop to this practice over ten years ago when it was brought to light in neighboring Pakistan.

This report comes on the heels of a recently-aired segment on HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumble" entitled "Childhood Lost" that depicted Indian children stitching together Mitre soccer balls for a paltry 5 cents an hour. Some of the balls were even proudly labeled "CHILD LABOR FREE."

Most of these children are working to pay off debts incurred by their parents to the manufacturing company. This is the sort of despicable practice that occurred in the days of serfs and the feudal system centuries ago and has no place in any modern society.

Now, one of the named companies, Mitre, has filed suit against HBO, claiming that the segment defamed their company and that it wasn't just Mitre employing the children, but other companies as well. This is like getting pulled over for speeding then claiming that "everyone else was speeding too." That's not the point; the point is that you broke the law - duh - and now you have to face the natural consequences.

I've been asked repeatedly my thoughts on the situation, so here it is...Mitre (and everyone else involved) would be best served by putting their time, effort, and money into getting their sports ball facilities certified Fair Trade (like ours are) rather than suing HBO. The lawsuit - no matter who wins - will not benefit the sports ball stitchers in India, but having their facilities qualify for Fair Trade certification certainly would.

Pursuing Fair Trade certification would also benefit the Mitre brand; they would be seen as part of the positive solution, rather than the negative current public image of one corporation suing another. They are simply forgetting that this issue at its core is about human beings.

Recently, some certified Fair Trade soccer balls and volleyballs were donated to the annual American Martyrs Catholic Church of Manhattan Beach auction by one of our customers (shout out to Tom Hoffarth). Churches have been a gathering point for people for centuries and it’s important that the folks that attend these gatherings get educated about the Fair Trade movement.

Donating these balls to the church auction was a great way to not only promote the Fair Trade market and donate to a worthwhile charity, but give people a chance to buy one beforehand and maybe start a little buzz about it. Each ball came attached with a sheet telling why it was "special" and it was displayed with all of the other sports equipment that was up for silent auction.

What a great way to get the ball rolling (sorry, bad pun) a month early on the “Fairly Gifting: The Alternative Christmas Market” (more on that later).

There’s a Fair Trade market in Southern California this upcoming Sunday, November 16 called “Fairly Gifting: The Alternative Christmas Market" that will have all kinds of Fair Trade goods and services available for purchase, and our Fair Trade balls will be for sale at cost along with cards detailing the facts about Fair Trade and what it means to the world at large. This isn’t so much a fundraiser as it is an “awareness raiser” that helps to push the cause forward.

As political forces polarized our country this election season, it’s imperative that we break the stereotypes thrust upon us and reach out to everyone with our message of Fair Trade. Churches are a great place to raise awareness for the dual global problems of extreme poverty and exploitation that continue to plague the less-privileged peoples of the Earth.

For most of us, October simply means that school is back in full swing, the leaves are changing, and the days are getting shorter. The nights are getting longer and Halloween is fast approaching. For others, October (and fall/autumn in general) is also the time of year when our favorite sport picks up. Football and basketball, in particular, are perennial favorites.

For more and more folks out there, however, October has come to be Fair Trade Month. October is the month above all others in which we do our best to get out the message about Fair Trade. And this past month was a great success. We know that if people only knew about the horrific conditions and unfair treatment that workers and communities in impoverished countries receive that they would want to do something about it or contribute in some way. There’s no time like the present to let these people know the facts about Fair Trade and what it can mean to those people that need it the most.

Displays like the ones pictured above and below are good examples of how Fair Trade products can be displayed in a Fall theme that not only showcases the season and reminds folks about how it’s time to replace there worn footballs, but also gets across the message of Fair Trade and respect. Imagine walking past that window and simply seeing “RESPECT” printed across those footballs. It might make you wonder, "Hey, what’s that all about?" And that’s the point: to get people thinking and to get people talking—about Fair Trade.

As we now approach the Thanksgiving season here in North America, take some time to get the message out if you can. It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant; just talk to some people. Let them know about how some of their favorite products might be exploitative and let them know that there are alternatives.

Recently some kids in the West African nation of Ghana were fortunate enough to have some of our certified Fair Trade soccer balls hand-delivered to them by the good folks at The Office of Justice and Peace, Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The Office of Justice and Peace has been working hand-in-hand with Fair Trade LA to make this happen. Joan Harper's diligence and open-door policies that have allowed her to make Fair Trade LA a real coalition of like-minded individuals and organizations that work towards a common goal of Fair Trade.

The pictures we received of brothers Melvin and Kelvin Awiapo receiving their Fair Trade ball brought happy tears to my eyes. Every once in a while, it’s good to see the visual difference we are making in the lives of children living in remote, impoverished regions. Ghana and other countries have long been exploited by more wealthy nations and the time has come for us to amend the sins of our ancestors and contemporaries. This is a lofty goal, but when you see the joy on these kids' faces you can’t help but believe that it can be a reality.

Children like Melvin and Kelvin really do not know how bad they have it compared to other children in wealthier nations. Children in general are some of the happiest people on the planet and get by with what they have. They, more than anyone, are adept at making the most out of what they have on hand at the moment. That said; imagine their surprise at being given free soccer balls! No doubt they already have their own soccer balls—probably handed down from their older siblings or made themselves out of plastic bags—but these new balls bounce better, last longer, and bring with them a message of unity, Fair Trade, and respect.