Rejoining something routine

Americans will show patriotism when games resume

As trivial is they seem now, sports have reached a level in our society of great importance. In fact, they’ve become as big a part of the social consciousness as politics. While that’s changed for the time being, sports will return to activity and one day become just as significant as they’ve been. But the NFL and other leagues believe that day shouldn’t come for a little while.

I thought this weekend was the perfect time to rejoin our routine. Granted, our routine has forever been changed, but sports themselves, the games themselves, have not and will not. So when I say, "rejoin our routine," I mean the routine of watching and enjoying sports.

I mean no disrespect to those who have been affected firsthand by the tragedies in New York City, Washington, D.C., and southwestern Pennsylvania. While I cannot say I can fully relate to their suffering, I can certainly understand it. Having watched the news coverage of the ongoing events, their suffering is quite evident.

But I thought a diversion was needed. For three days now, this tragedy is all that’s been discussed and covered — and that’s how it should have been. But by the weekend, I figured, we could resume other aspects of our lives. After all, people have returned to their offices, people are conducting daily business, and the sports we watch are part of that business.

Keep in mind, sports aren’t merely a form of entertainment. They’re also businesses, and I thought they should resume their routine as well. In the process, Americans would have something else to discuss and cover, and if only for the three hours a game is played, have their thoughts removed from the horrifying events of Tuesday, when our world changed forever.

That said, the sports world did no injustice to its fans. Leagues offices seem to believe it’s better to be safe than sorry, and that’s a very reasonable belief. But very soon — Monday for Major League Baseball and Sept. 23 for the NFL — sports will resume, and it will be then when we learn whether more grieving is needed or not.

We’ll be able to tell by the number of fans in attendance, the noise of the crowd, the intensity of the games. But I have a feeling both players and fans will come together and put on a display to remember. I recall during the Persian Gulf War, how strong Americans were in support of their military, and it showed during the NHL All-Star Game and Super Bowl. Though few American casualties resulted from the conflict, our patriotism was sky-high.