Commentary --09/15/01
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There is an old saying: "Football Is Life... The Rest Are Just Details". After experiencing "America Under Attack" I can justly say that this statement, however innocent it was intended to be, could not be further from the truth. We ladies and gentleman have just lived through a part of history that will be written about, and one day looked back on as a turning point in the Worlds society. Certainly the strikes on New York, Washington and Pittsburgh are the harsh realities of life; as are the thousands starving, the homeless, and on the brighter side: family, friends and culture.
Football is not life - but it really shouldn't have taken the incidents of this past week to tell us that. A distinction needs to be drawn, a line drawn in the sand, something, to remind us when this is all over, that Football is a game. A game where approximately one-hundred-fifty grown men dress up in tights and padding to run after a ball. It is an organized sport that is not a battlefield regardless of what metaphors may have been spoken. There are rules and no actual trench. Paul Tagliabue should not have had to cancel a weeks worth of games in order for us to learn that Football is just a game. Where fans cheer, and players unite - and we nationally marvel at talent. Football is simply not as important as life, and we cannot take life for granted. We should not make light of life. We need to realize that there is more to existence than a team, a sport or even the Las Vegas Line.
As civilians this week, we have experienced a tragedy of Titanic proportions - and now simply is not the time to revel in the line scrimmage. The right decision was made in calling off this week's games, not because we as a nation were not ready for them, and not because the safety concerns could not have been addressed. Out of respect for the thousands that have experienced pain and loss beyond many of our comprehension. For the first time in history the NFL has put off a week's worth of games. This weekend is time for family, time for friends, and time to gather our thoughts in tribute to the innocent. There will be time for Football - lots of it; but before it begins, we must realize that it really is just a game.
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