The Grand Scheme Of Things
9/13/2011 9:48:29 AM | Football
Sometimes in life, things happen that put everything else in perspective. "9/11" was certainly one of those moments. So this past Saturday, as the nation prepared to remember and never forget, Syracuse University played a game of football. The same game of football that my eight-year-old son's ESM Eagles played against the Mattydale Vikings earlier that morning. Just a game.
Games of football, separated from the grand scheme of things, often seem like “battles” where winning means surviving. At least until we are reminded what little impact the outcome of any particular game has on the world. But that's not to say that sports are meaningless or unimportant in our lives. Quite the contrary. Sports are an outlet. Being a fan is like expensive therapy. It helps us vent and leave our worries behind.
While in the Dome, just a day before the 10th anniversary of 9/11, I vividly remembered the first game I watched just days after the attacks - Syracuse vs. Auburn. The Sugar Bowl rematch. In the Dome.
The announced attendance was about 43,000, but it felt like there were 400,000. The collective emotions of the crowd were palpable. There was anger. There was pride. There was respect. There was grief. And yet for nearly four hours, that crowd cheered on its team to victory. For nearly four hours, we all put the horrors we had recently witnessed out of our mind. The game was a respite from images of death and destruction and war. In a game of measured advancement and defined rules, we were able to leave our uncertainties behind. If for only a little while, we no longer needed to contemplate what future awaited our children.
And so it was last Saturday, a beautiful day with perfect football weather. A slight breeze in the air fluttered the tiny American flags bordering the grass along University Ave. The game was supposed to be no contest. It was supposed to be an “easy” win. It turned out to be a hard-fought nail-biter. And that's why they play the games. Syracuse played sloppy and Rhode Island came with a game-plan and played inspired. In the end, both teams learned something from the contest that they will carry with them the rest of their season, if not their lives.
Why do we love sports so much? Why do we become fans? Because it helps us forget about the grand scheme of things. Sometimes living in the moment and cheering for people playing a game is all the medicine we need.
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