Part of the Healing Process

After tragedy struck the Boston Marathon on Monday afternoon, I had no intention of blogging about it.  While Monday's bombing did occur during a major participatory and spectator sporting event, the sports-related angle seemed petty and insignificant.  As the week went on, however - culminating in an emotional series of events this afternoon at Fenway Park - it became increasingly evident that, even in trying times such as these, sports are far from an afterthought.  As many have noted this week, the events in Boston serve as yet another reminder of how important sports are to our society - as a distraction from the harsh realities of "real life," as a symbol of normalcy during otherwise unbelievable times, and even as a vital part of the post-tragedy healing process.

When the Boston Bruins returned to TD Garden for their game against the Buffalo Sabres earlier this week, I didn't originally think much of it - in fact, I didn't even think to check up on the game until the following morning, when video footage from the contest's national anthem was already all over TV and the internet.  Of course ESPN's SportsCenter carried the footage - the first sporting event in Boston post the bombings was undoubtedly a big story for the nation's largest sports network - but I was shocked to see video from the game on Good Morning America, The Today Show and virtually every other morning news outlet, too.

The trend continued during Friday night's manhunt in Watertown, which caused the postponement of that night's scheduled Red Sox and Bruins games.  I was incredibly surprised to hear the newscasters on both Fox News and CNN comment on what a shame it was that the sporting events were cancelled, since the entire community was looking forward to watching their local teams compete and having something to to take their minds off of the week's surreal events.  Much like the first Giants, Jets, Mets and Yankees games following 9/11, this weekend's Boston sporting events will serve as a reminder of the strength of the city of Boston and the closeness of its community.

Major national events like the Boston Marathon bombing help put life in perspective, and remind us that there's so much more to life than sports.  At the same time, however, it would be wrong to assume that sports have no place in the midst of tragedy.  As this week has shown us, the power of sports should not be underestimated, and no other form of entertainment can bring a city together in quite the same way.