In honor of New Years’ Eve, ESPN put out something very interesting to me on their Instagram story. And that is “if you could talk to sports, what would you say?” So, instead of responding to their story post on Instagram, I decided to write my response in an article. So, here goes nothing.
Dear Sports,
In a troubling time like we’ve never seen before, you have stepped up to the plate. You have done wonders for not just this country, but the entire world. From athletes going out of their way to help protest against racial inequality to a widespread pandemic that we are still grappling with, you have been there fighting the fight every step of the way. We’ve seen some of the greatest comeback stories that you told that could never be told in a fairytale. Take for example first baseman for the Atlanta Braves, Freddie Freeman. He had COVID-19 for a number of weeks and didn’t feel well to the point that he wasn’t sure if he was going to live any longer. Eventually, he fought back defiantly, having one of the best seasons of his illustrious career and would go on to win the National League Most Valuable Player. Another example is college football. COVID-19 has destroyed many programs and became a logistical nightmare for important games, but, when all the cards were stacked against those programs, they persevered and got a full season together. However, to quote CC Sabathia, “You don’t get to control how things end.” In 2020, we have experienced endless loss not just throughout the whole world, but in the sports world too. From names like Joe Morgan, Tom Seaver, Lou Brock, Bob Gibson and Diego Maradona to Al Kaline, Gale Sayers, Kobe Bryant (aka The Black Mamba), Kevin Greene, Phil Niekro and Wes Unseld, all of them are icons in their sports. To give you some perspective on that, all of these names are enshrined in a Hall of Fame of some sort and 8 of them have won one or multiple championships.
Sports, you have been the North Star for so many people out there that are struggling in some way. You have also provided that escape that fans across the globe really needed this year. And for that, I say thank you. Cheers to ending 2020 on the right note and looking forward to 2021, which is going to be bigger and better than ever.
Thanks sports,
Rome Kadi