Despite Tragedy We Choose to Play On - jmik58's Blog

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jmik58's Blog

Despite Tragedy We Choose to Play On Stuck

Posted on December 10, 2012 at 03:54 PM.

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A misperception exists in some pockets of American culture that sports and life are somehow disconnected. To these folks, sport is looked upon as a release from life, an activity of leisure and great pleasure that is to be completed apart from the daily grind.

In most instances this is very true, but like anything in our world it takes proper perspective to judge the merits of playing on despite tragic life events.

The murder-suicide involving Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher was enough to shut down any future activities of normal living for anyone within two degrees of separation from the families affected -- including the Chiefs family. Despite this, the organization decided to move on and play the following day against the Carolina Panthers.

Likewise, the Dallas Cowboys took the field following the recent death of practice squad player Jerry Brown, who died as a result of a traffic accident at the hands of an intoxicated Josh Brent -- also a member of the Dallas Cowboys.

Like the Chiefs, Dallas played and won their next game, but the biggest victory of each circumstance for the teams involved was simply that they chose to play at all.

Some may be angered, mystified, or saddened by the choices of a team to take the field, court, rink, etc. after such tragic events. But let's not forget, we aren't talking about rec league bowling. The word "sports" stands for something much bigger to the lives of some young men and women, and that doesn't change if we're talking about high school student-athletes or professionals.

As a teenager playing high school football, baseball, or other sports, the time spent with teammates and coaches is nearly equivalent to that of our blood-relatives at home. Those friends, teammates, and coaches become a second family. And more so than the light-hearted bowling league matchup on Tuesday nights, athletes from high school through the pros suffer through physical pain as they prepare, practice, and compete -- few would call it a leisure activity. It's skill-building for life.

When horrible things happen we don't have to choose between mourning and sports. Both can and do coexist. Continuing on with life is as much a tool of healing as is sobbing in the solitude of our own homes.

So for these athletes, playing on in the moments following a tragedy isn't about putting the sport before real life. Instead, it's a statement that sports are a part of life, and like life -- sports must go on.

Sound Off: Is it disrespectful for teams to play immediately following the death of a teammate?

Justin Mikels is a staff writer for Operation Sports. Follow him on Twitter: @long_snapper

Comments

# 1 tical2399 @ Dec 11

Let's all be honest. We all know the NFL would never let a team not play a game even if the team and staff 100% agreed not to. The last thing the NFL is going to do is pass on money even if somebody died. Game revenue >human life every time as far as the NFL is concerned.