Whether you call it soccer, football, or “the beautiful game,” it’s a global phenomenon.
Played in stadiums, in streets, and in dusty fields all over the world, the game will seize the international spotlight later in June when Russia hosts the 2018 FIFA World Cup in 11 cities — from Sochi to St. Petersburg.
Play Proud is a vital new initiative from Streetfootballworld USA designed to protect some of soccer’s most vulnerable players, and June is Pride Month.
The face of the campaign is American soccer star Megan Rapinoe, a member of the 2015 World Cup team that won gold in Vancouver, Canada. Rapinoe plays for the Seattle Reign FC, one of the founding teams of the National Women’s Soccer League. Proudly out, Rapinoe says that growing up, she would have benefitted from Play Proud’s core mandate of making youth soccer more inclusive and coaches more aware.
Rapinoe believes sports environments have traditionally not been safe spaces for LGBTQ youth, but she hopes this initiative will help change that for the next generation.
“Sometimes kids in the sports system can feel like they’re alone or like they don’t have anybody to talk to,” she said in the promotional video for the campaign. “Coaches want to do what’s right, they just don’t know how or they don’t know how to get information.”
Play Proud from Arch Rivals on Vimeo.
Play Proud is the brainchild of Lilli Barrett-O’Keefe, regional manager for Streetfootballworld USA, a global network of over 125 soccer-based non-profits in 80 countries helping to tackle social issues impacting young people. These include homelessness, gender-based violence, and gang culture. Now, having seen a tremendous need, Play Proud seeks to make youth soccer a safe space by educating coaches and staff about the challenges facing LGBTQ youth.
Among those challenges: a widespread perception that their communities don't accept them and that youth sports is not safe or welcoming, which is likely preventing participation. According to recent data, LGBTQ youth are twice as likely as their peers to be physically assaulted in school and half as likely to participate in organized sports.
“In the current political climate, an increasing number of LGBTQ youth are bullied in school, are victims of abuse and harassment, and experience homelessness and social isolation,” Barrett-O’Keefe says.
Through a crowdsourcing campaign that launched June 6, Barrett-O’Keefe and Play Proud were aiming to raise $100,000 to reach 3,600 coaches and 62,000 youth with a simple training toolkit.
The next phase will target 35,000 coaches and 2.5 million youth worldwide.
“Coaches have such powerful influence and impact on kids’ lives,” she says. “This kit gives coaches a basic 101 understanding of how to work with this population, helping them to understand the nuance of gender and sexuality. And it’s just as much for the straight kids.”
More than a billion people watched 2014’s FIFA World Cup final. This year, the World Cup is being hosted by a nation historically hostile to its LGBTQ citizens— a degree of discrimination that the U.S. State Department calls “widespread” and which spiked after the passage of the country’s notorious 2013 anti-gay “propaganda law.”
Now, through the confluence of Pride Month and the World Cup, Streetfootballworld sees a unique opportunity to get the message of inclusion out to players, coaches, and viewers.
Play Proud also wants to change the experience of many gay athletes, many of whom feel that their identities as members of the LGBTQ community and as athletes must exist in isolation.
“We believe you can be an out gay athlete,” Barrett-O’Keefe says. “For so many young LGBTQ youth, there is no safe space to be themselves and to be heard. We believe soccer can fill that void. Play Proud can save lives, literally.”
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Parents of young children get more time with them if they work from home.Photo credit: Canva
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Grieving couple comforting each other
This response to someone grieving a friend might be the best internet comment ever
When someone is hit with the sudden loss of a friend or loved one, words rarely feel like enough. Yet, more than a decade ago, a wise Redditor named GSnow shared thoughts so profound they still bring comfort to grieving hearts today.
Originally posted around 2011, the now-famous reply was rediscovered when Upvoted, an official Reddit publication, featured it again to remind everyone of its enduring truth. It began as a simple plea for help: “My friend just died. I don't know what to do.”
What followed was a piece of writing that many consider one of the internet’s best comments of all time. It remains shared across social media, grief forums, and personal messages to this day because its honesty and metaphor speak to the raw reality of loss and the slow, irregular path toward healing.
Below is GSnow’s full reply, unchanged, in all its gentle, wave-crashing beauty:
Why this advice still matters
Mental health professionals and grief counselors often describe bereavement in stages or phases, but GSnow’s “wave theory” gives an image more relatable for many. Rather than a linear process, grief surges and retreats—sometimes triggered by a song, a place, or a simple morning cup of coffee.
In recent years, this metaphor has found renewed relevance. Communities on Reddit, TikTok, and grief support groups frequently reshare it to help explain the unpredictable nature of mourning.
Many readers say this analogy helps them feel less alone, giving them permission to ride each wave of grief rather than fight it.
Finding comfort in shared wisdom
Since this comment first surfaced, countless people have posted their own stories underneath it, thanking GSnow and passing the words to others facing fresh heartbreak. It’s proof that sometimes, the internet can feel like a global support group—strangers linked by shared loss and hope.
For those searching for more support today, organizations like The Dougy Center, GriefShare, and local bereavement groups offer compassionate resources. If you or someone you know is struggling with intense grief, please reach out to mental health professionals who can help navigate these deep waters.
When grief comes crashing like the ocean, remember these words—and hang on. There is life between the waves.
This article originally appeared four years ago.