Sportsmanship, friendship one year after Little League hug - ESPN

THIS MOMENT FELT different. It stymied even the most jaded keyboard warriors and moved people so deeply that some sent handwritten letters, addressed to various places in Oklahoma, that somehow found their way to Isaiah Jarvis. One person mailed him one of his Special Olympics medals. A woman from New Jersey penned a greeting card: «May you never change.»

On Aug. 9, 2022, at the boys Little League Southwest Region championship, Isaiah «Zay» Jarvis of Tulsa National and Kaiden «Bubs» Shelton of Texas East-Pearland — a couple of 12-year-olds from opposing teams and rival states — participated in an act of sportsmanship that would become known simply as «The Hug.»

A pitch that got away from Shelton hit Jarvis in the head. Jarvis got up, collected himself and went to first base, but noticed Shelton was rattled. In a game that would put the winner in the Little League World Series and on national television, Jarvis dropped his helmet, slowly strode from first base to the mound, and wrapped his arms around Shelton. «Hey,» he told Shelton, «you're doing just great.»

The internet blew up. Texas East defeated Tulsa National, but that became a mere footnote. The video went viral. Everyone wanted to know more about Jarvis, the auburn-red mulleted shortstop from Oklahoma, and Shelton, the 5-foot-10, 172-pound pre-teen Texas hurler. Why did two junior high boys care so much? Whatever happened to them after that game? Did they become friends?

A year after becoming instant celebrities, Zay and Bubs still have staying power. And in a world that has seemingly lost its manners, with parents attacking coaches and umpires, with signs hanging in ballparks reminding people to be nice, Jarvis and Shelton are held up as an example of how to