Anyone who watched the gold medal hockey game has a mental image of Sidney Crosby at that moment imprinted on his or her brain. Gloves and stick flung away as he raised in his arms in jubilation.

All Canadians joined in that moment and celebrated with him. It was the crowning achievement in a stellar year for Canada at the Olympics. Our Canadian pride was busting at the seams.

I can understand the desire to have the gloves and stick returned. They’ll capture a classic moment of sports history if they become an exhibit at the Hockey Hall of Fame.

But $10,000? No questions asked, Reebok says. Well, I have a couple of questions for them.

What kind of message are we delivering? First there’s the ethical issue of rewarding theft. That’s not exactly the kind of behaviour that conveys the Olympic spirit.

Next there’s the question of the amount of money. $10,000 is a drop in the bucket to multinational giant like Reebok. But to people in a third world country earning $2 a day or less (55% of the world’s population, by the way), it’s a fortune.

What if Reebok came at the situation from a different angle? We’ll give $10,000 to the World Vision relief fund for Haiti if the items are returned. Seems to me that’s a win-win situation. Reebok gets the PR boost they want. Haiti gets a helping hand they desperately need.

Yes, I know the odds of getting the stick and glove back may be higher if they money goes into the perpetrator’s pocket. But isn’t it worth the risk?

Joannie Rochette made the Olympics a metaphor for the triumph of the human spirit. Reebok could carry the same torch if they shifted their perspective just a little bit.

So what do you say, Reebok? Are you up to the challenge?

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel”. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog.

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