Locals play in world’s longest kickball game to raise funds to fight human trafficking

Two Pike County residents recently played in the world’s longest marathon kickball game at Landmark Christian School in Fairburn with the team’s efforts raising $200,000 to fight human trafficking. Benny and Kyndal Rutherford and a team of others spent their Labor Day holiday playing kickball for days in order to raise awareness and funds for anti-human trafficking efforts. The game started at 8 a.m. Friday and ended Sunday afternoon after 52 consecutive hours of playing kickball. The 40 players, including 13 female athletes, had to remain on the field the entire time. They ate and slept on the field with only five-minute bathroom breaks when needed.

“The suffering we experience out on that field is nothing compared to what the people we are fighting for go through. We, as a couple, are just happy to be a small part of bringing awareness to sex trafficking and the efforts being made to end it,” said Benny and Kyndal Rutherford.

Men Opposing Sex Trafficking (MOST) broke the Guinness World Records for the longest marathon softball game last September and longest continuous basketball game in March, both 121 consecutive hours. The record-setting kickball game was the first in which women joined the men raising awareness for MOST.

“Breaking the record for the longest basketball game back in March allowed us to escape the elements, so while the kickball record was less than half the length, the weather added some variables we had to prepare for – especially the heat,” said Bruce Deel, CEO and founder of MOST. “We were incredibly excited to welcome the wives of some of the men who have helped us make history in the past – it’s truly becoming a family affair in support of our cause. What we’ve learned in the process of breaking two world records is that when you capture people’s attention, you can also capture their hearts. Ultimately, our objective is to raise awareness about the scourge of sex trafficking and provide the tools for everyday people to help stamp it out, and as we have become known for these grueling physical challenges over the last 12 months, we have seen a spike in interest and raised over $800,000 to drive our core mission.”

To be certified by the Guinness Book of World Records, the game was played with a maximum of 26 players on each team, with 10 defenders on the field at all times. MOST had 20 players on each squad, with the teams playing in short shifts throughout the day, then alternating longer shifts overnight to allow for sleeping.

Initially focused squarely on spreading awareness when it was founded in 2022, MOST now employs two analysts tasked with locating sex trafficking activity, and an interdiction team of 11 men with military/law enforcement backgrounds who assist local authorities around the country with sting operations.

To learn more about MOST or to make a donation, go to WeAreMOST.org.