It’s hard to comprehend that the worst of events happen on days that start off just like any other day. It seems there would have to be some clue, some foreboding, but there’s not. On Monday, alarm clocks went off for 32 people just like they had the Friday before. These people got dressed, ate breakfast, and brushed their teeth just like we all did. But then in the blink of an eye, everything changed and 32 lives were snuffed out. Now a collegiate community must struggle with unspeakable grief while a nation mourns with them, suppressing the knowledge that this could have happened anywhere to any of us on any normal morning.
In the wake of tragedy like this, sports are trivial. It seems disrespectful to care about scores and rankings when everything is falling apart. Sports are a part of normalcy, and it seems like nothing will ever be normal again.
But there is a healing power in sports. It’s their very normalcy that helps people go on. They act as a bridge between an innocent yesterday and an uncertain future because they are a constant. After September 11th, baseball and football provided an escape, something to focus on when the tragedy seemed too big to fathom. There were smiles and chatter about homeruns or touchdowns and it didn’t matter how fleeting those smiles were or how the chatter always led back to the real-life nightmare. For a few minutes during that fateful autumn, sports were like band-aids on broken hearts.
Virginia Tech is known for sports. Whether you’re a fan of the Hokies or not, you can’t help but respect their tenacity, their pride, and the spirit of competition that thrives in Blacksburg. And it’s that same spirit that will be a blessing to the community as a whole as they face the unthinkable. Five teams will compete on behalf of Virginia Tech this weekend, in memory of those who died and in honor of those who live. Their tradition of athletic excellence will provide an escape, a focus, a chance to rise together as one. And in those normal moments when students, faculty, families, and fans are rooting for the home team, there will be some healing.
Yes, they’re just games, but sometimes those games are small reasons to put one sad foot in front of the other.
No comments:
Post a Comment