Last Night’s Football Game Was About More Than Sport – Meltdown
Like many football fans, I was pumped to watch last night’s Monday Night Football game. Lots on the line with two very good teams. When safety, Damar Hamlin went down in the first quarter, I had a feeling something was not right. Maybe because I was watching with some friends in a bar playing music and no game sound, but the training staff seemed extra “busy”, with people running all over the field.
As a parent of kids who played sports, the last thing you want to see is a kid injured just playing a game. Yes, I’ve heard idiotic parents yelling some vile things to their players on the playing surface. My kid had his fair share of “legal” hits that fell a kid or two. They all got up and continued. When a player is injured on the ice in a hockey game, a very eerie quiet comes over the arena. I’ve seen parents taken onto the ice by other players to be closer to their child. Luckily, most of the injuries were not severe. There were a few taken to local hospitals by ambulance for broken bones, but not too serious.
I would tell my son to never lay on the ice unless you were really hurt. That was a deal we had. He took hits, shots, pitches, you name it…he never laid on the ice/field. One year, one of his teammates would get “hurt” a lot. I think he had to be helped off the ice six or seven times, just to return a few minutes later. The coaches weren’t saying anything to him, so after the Christmas break I pulled him aside and told him that when he does that “It really upsets your mother”. He never laid on the ice again for the rest of the year.
Of course here in Detroit we’ve seen our share of scary on-ice/on-field moments. From the shot that hit Chris Pronger in the chest, to Jiri Fischer’s cardiac incident on the bench. It’s scary stuff. Ironically, Jesse James DuPree of Jackyl would tell me years later that was the first and only hockey game he’d ever attended. He had no idea what was going on, on the ice, let alone on the bench when Fischer fell over.
Kids play sports for many reasons. I loved watching mine compete, interact with their team, learn, lose, win, and every other emotion that comes with being on the ice or field. It’s a sinking feeling to watch a kid lay there, while they were just trying to have fun.
Godspeed to Damar. As you can see, lots of people know it’s more than just a game. You can support his foundation, The Chasing M’s Foundation Community Toy Drive.
-Meltdown-
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