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opinion
Athletes help
healing
The images of the
terrorist attacks that ravaged the World Center building and
the Pentagon may still be a memory too fresh for most folks
to stomach, but, on the bright side, the healing process has
finally begun.
And the Chef is
very pleased to announce that the nurturing hands of professional
sports have been the first to apply a much-needed Band-Aid
on America's collective wound.
The entire society
was and continues to be completely immersed in the news and
updates concerning the Sept. 11 attacks, but now the entrances
to ballparks and stadiums have been reopened and offer a grand
opportunity to have an extremely pleasant diversion from these
stressful times.
These athletes
? knowingly or unknowingly ? have become heroes in their own
right. Like the heroic firefighters, policemen and emergency
medical technicians who work around the clock searching for
survivors, these athletes are also helping the country heal
by bringing smiles to countless numbers of faces and uplifting
spirits nationwide.
The New York Giants
played their home opener on Sept. 21, which was the first
football game in the New York area since the terrorist attacks.
The crowd was emotionally charged while hearing the Tony Bennett
sing "America the Beautiful," listening to the Harlem
Boys Choir perform the national anthem and seeing a color
guard comprised of New York Police and Fire Department members.
Now, over a week
after that monumental first step in the healing process of
the United States, the signs of solidarity are still very
visible in the world of professional sports.
In Major League
Baseball, a small American flag is embroidered over the numbers
on the back of each jersey.
In the National
Football League, a small American flag can be seen on each
player's helmet.
Even in the press
box, commentators Pat Summerall and John Madden donned a miniature
pin of the American flag on their coats, closely resembling
sort of a patriotic boutonniere, while covering football games
on Fox.
Certainly, anyone
who sees the flag on their favorite athlete would be invigorated
and overwhelmed with a rush of patriotism.
Those affected
most by this kind of rush would probably be the estimated
30 million participants of fantasy sports, especially fantasy
football and fantasy baseball, according to the Harris Poll.
Fantasy football
participants are typically people who are overzealously enthused
about professional football, and now that enthusiasm is amplified
when their eyes gaze upon the American flag shining on a team's
helmets.
"The flag
[on their helmets] shows unity," said sophomore Nick
Cruzado, who is involved in fantasy football. "Although
they play on separate sides, their efforts all go toward the
same thing. Everyone's together and no on could ever take
away the bond between Americans.
"By playing,
the players and the NFL show that life goes on. They are able
to divert people's attention from the tragedy and send them
to a much simpler, happier time through that pig-skin football."
Although these
athletes probably consider what they do very mundane acts
in comparison to the non-stop relief efforts, their games
bring enjoyment to all, so the Chef would like to thank these
professional athletes for all that they have done for their
country.
Ben Dimapindan
is a print journalism major at Cal State Long Beach.
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