How Can We Live Without Sports? For Now, We Must
By Paul Helgren, Associate Athletic Director for Communications
March 14, 2020
To say that sports are important to the lives of Americans is an understatement. For many of us, it’s more than the games we play or the games we watch or the teams we support. It’s what we talk about, it’s what we think about, it’s what we dream about. It’s an indelible fabric of our lives, a critical part of our identity. It’s what bonds us to friends and breaks the ice with strangers. It’s something we just can’t imagine living without.
Until we must.
For the first time in over 100 years, virtually all sporting events in America have been canceled or postponed due to concerns about the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19. The last time something like this happened was during the Spanish Flu outbreak of 1918. That pandemic forced the cancellation of college football games, boxing matches, horse races, as well as the closing of almost all public venues. Approximately 50 million people died world-wide from the Spanish Flu, about 675,000 in the United States.
Which brings us to this point. While many of us may be consumed with our passion for sports, there are far more important things in life, such as our collective health and well-being as a society. Our current public health crisis is a not-so subtle reminder that ultimately, sports are a diversion that, for now at least, must be put on pause for the good of everybody.
This isn’t going to be easy, especially for those who play the games. It is perfectly fine to have sympathy for athletes at every level who have worked and trained to play their sport, and now must sit and wait. Think especially for the college and high school seniors who may miss out on their final chance to play the sport they love.
Closer to home, we think of our Rocket basketball teams who never got a chance to play for a shot at making the NCAA Tournament. We had a track athlete and a diver who were called back home in the middle of NCAA competitions. All of our spring sports -- baseball, softball, tennis, golf, track & field – have ended their seasons before they could barely get started. We have so many seniors whose athletic careers have now ended. It’s sad. It’s a shame. But for the health and well-being of all of us, there simply was no alternative but to end the games.
Hopefully, this will all be over soon and we can get back to business as usual. But for now, we must all make sacrifices, including those wearing the Midnight Blue and Gold. As our University president, Dr. Sharon Gaber said, “We are a family. We are Rockets!”
Go Rockets!
Previous Rocket Blogs
They Call it March Madness for a Reason (March 10, 2020)
Networking Connects Student-Athletes to Potential Futures Outside of Their Sport (Feb. 28, 2020)
The Battle Against Breast Cancer is Everyone's Fight (Feb. 20, 2020)
Organ Donation is the Greatest Gift You Can Give (Feb. 12, 2020)
Rockets Keep Winning the Recruiting War (Feb. 6, 2020)
Candle's assistant coach hires are great news for the Rockets (Jan. 31, 2020)
