Sports Are A Part Of Life, Not Life Itself
Last night, in a marquee Monday Night Football matchup between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals, a large portion of the country sat down to watch one of the staples of the American sports world. The NFL is a multi-billion dollar entity, and it has an incredible hold on the attention of sports fans nationwide and worldwide. That made the situation that unfolded on the field in Cincinnati last night incredibly public, and incredibly jarring. Following a hit in the 1st quarter of the game on Bengals’ wide receiver Tee Higgins, Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin got back to his feet, and then subsequently collapsed onto his back. It was clear that there was a serious injury situation unfolding, but in a league that battles head injuries on a weekly basis, unfortunately the sudden collapse of a player was not an uncommon sight in an NFL game. The escalation of the situation, though, certainly was. Hamlin remained on the ground, and as medical personnel rushed to his aid, it became clear that this was more than a typical head injury. The result was a terrifying scene in which Hamlin, surrounded by players from both teams, was administered CPR in a life or death situation on national television, and minutes that felt like an eternity for everyone in attendance and observing at home.
After Hamlin’s pulse was restored, he was rushed to the nearest major hospital, still not breathing on his own. As of latest reports, his status is critical, though his vitals have reportedly returned to some sense of stability. His family, his teammates, and the fans at the game were left shell-shocked, attempting to process the gravity of the situation that had unfolded. Obviously, everyone involved was, and still is, entirely focused on the status of Hamlin’s health. The game can be completed at a later point, or not at all. No decent person cares about those details. As a 24 year old man’s life still hangs in the balance, sports are not at the front of anyone’s minds. Rightfully so. What was meant to take place last night was a football game. A high profile one, yes, but let’s revisit that last word. Even at the highest level, football is a game. It should never be held to stakes like life and death, but the fact of the matter is, sometimes in rare circumstances, those factors come into play. It’s a sobering reminder of exactly what these men are risking every time they step onto an NFL field.
So, what am I saying? That people shouldn’t play football anymore because of the inherent dangers of the sport? No, I don’t think that’s a realistic or proper reaction to what happened to Damar Hamlin last night. Life has possible risks that individuals may choose to accept or not accept. Some people skydive. Some people climb mountains. Some people play football. The goal is to make the sport as safe as possible, but it’s hard to imagine a world where no risk is involved with playing at the NFL level. These men all accept those risks, but there’s never an EXPECTATION that a game could result in a situation of this severity. Maybe, all we can do as outside observers, or even those who participate in the game week in and week out, is to recalibrate our perception of exactly how important sports are, and are not.
I love sports, I work in sports; it is my career and my passion. Sometimes it feels like the Eagles, or Phillies, or Sixers, or Flyers are a matter of life and death, but the importance of those two things is infinitely more important than a professional sporting event. Damar Hamlin’s medical emergency on Monday Night Football is not typical, but it is a reality that millions of people were confronted with last night. The most important thing that could come out of all of this is the health of the young man who was playing a game that he loved last night, and is now fighting for his life. For us outside observers, though, I think we should take this time to reevaluate just how important, or rather unimportant, we hold sports to be when confronted with a serious life situation like this. Life is, and always will be, bigger than sports.
