The NFL and 9/11
Today marks the anniversary of one of the saddest occasions in our nations history. The attacks of terror on our own soil 10 years ago still haunt many and while not all wounds heal, some wounds do keep other wounds from happening. America as a nation stands much more secure today than on that day. It’s terrible that an event of this magnitude happened, and even worse that it took an event of that magnitude to secure this nation. Despite the many threats today, I do believe this nation is secure.
The NFL will kick off the full swing of the 2011 season later today. At every game, there will be some sort of celebration, some would say remembrance. I’d like to call it a celebration. A celebration of the lives of countless Americans that lost their lives, a celebration of the triumphic healing process that America and it’s citizens began so many years ago, and the celebration of football–our common ground.
I grew up 2 hours north of New Orleans, suffice to say I went through Hurrican Katrina and the aftermath. I wasn’t harmed. My family wasn’t harmed. The effects, however, were still real. I bring this up because I am amazed to this day how important the Saints became to the region.
There were many people living in the church gym that I worked at. A lot of these people were re-located from New Orleans or other parts of southern Louisiana. Being a football fan, I found it easy to strike up conversations with most. We talked everything under the sun football-related, and I’ll admit–it was very enjoyable. The conversations became part of a daily routine. I would come to work and hear,”Utensils! When we gon get them Saints on this here tv”. Utensils was my nickname….at least according to that particular man. Finally, Sunday would roll around. The Saints were on tv. Everyone in the gym would crowd into the tv room and gather to watch the Saints. This served as a much-needed distraction, as everyday saw more and more people learning news they would rather not hear. That was the most intense audience I’ve ever seen watch a game. They needed the Saints as much as New Orleans needed to be above water level.
What I’m saying boils down to this: Katrina was bad, but the NFL helped alleviate the pain. Now, football didn’t heal the wounds, football just put a giant band-aid on the wounds. This band-aid did not get limited to Sunday afternoon. All through the week, we would carry on conversations about the game. We weren’t talking about how the 9th Ward still remained under water. We didn’t talk as much about how someone’s house had been passed on from generation to generation and now it was on underwater. No, we talked about football and in turn, everyone enjoyed themselves just that little bit more that was so desperately needed.
While the events of 9/11 aren’t necessarily fresh, the 10-year anniversary brings them back to the forefront of our minds. Many Americans will be forced to relive the tragedy. Some will discover it for the first time, but all of us have the opportunity to bond. To bond as Americans and to bond as fans of the NFL. We will never forget what happened to this nation, and we will continue to grow stronger because of it. The NFL just strengthens those bonds. Football may seem less than the remembrance of 9/11, and I concede that it is, but the importance of this season remains no less remarkable. This may be the most important day in NFL history. Many Americans will look to the NFL and it’s players to pick them back up.
The most threatening part about the events of 9/11, to me, remains in the massive size of the ordeal. That day rests bigger than me, bigger than you, bigger than all of us as individuals, but not bigger than our nation. Together we’ve moved forward, and there we rest.
R.I.P everyone lost on that day.