From Brooklyn gangs to competing in North Korea, table tennis saved Wally Geen's life and turned him into a messenger of peace.

Nobody in the West really cares about table tennis, which is why Wally Green isn’t a household name.

I mention the West because, as we all know, Asians not only love the sport but are masters of it. The Chinese, for example, are on another level entirely. Have you seen them play? It's incredible.

Anyway, back to Wally.

His story is not about winning competitions, but about winning at life.

To be clear, Wally represented the United States in over 35 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) pro ...