The next time you are at a stadium filled with cheering fans,  imagine if our  teams ran onto the field  not to knock down their opponents, but to lift up their community.  
What if they came to tackle social problems, not quarterbacks?  

Would we cheer and wave in unison if our team helped our homeless get  to home base or renovated a rec center so more children could play?

Would we wear shirts emblazoned with the names of social entrepreneurs, inventors and volunteers?  Would call-in shows be jammed with fans celebrating an unbroken record of social reforms?

You can keep your season tickets to our big sporting events.

But if you want to see some real hero’s compete on behalf of your city, you might want to order your tickets to the next High School Innovation Challenge.

As with most things that are new, the first year of this event was small.   A few supporters gathered around small teams who had come to offer ideas and work to help others.

No cheerleaders, no screaming fans, no recruiters, no million dollar contracts.  Just high school students eager to make their city better.

The Warnock foundation offered prizes to help make these dreams come true.  But more importantly, they honored the voice and ideas of these students who are eager to create a better future for

Baltimore.

That’s worth cheering.