Just a game

My Take by Tim Brodt

Comprehending last week's tragic events through the mind of a child can be difficult at best, but realistically impossible.

My 10 year-old son watched the devastating tragedy with my wife and me early Tuesday morning before he went to school. He had many questions, but didn't really understand the impact of such a tragedy or why someone would do something so terrible.

Trying to help him understand the scope of such a tragedy while protecting his innocence was a delicate matter.

Kids seem to relate events based on how they affect them. Because he watched the details on television describing the horror that took place far from Alaska, he could not grasp the full meaning.

On Thursday it all became clearer to him. I had to tell him that we weren't going to see the NHL exhibition game over the weekend between the Sharks and Blues. The games were cancelled along with most other national sporting events due to the tragedy.

My son, an avid hockey fan and player, was quite devastated and tearful that we were not able to go to the game. He had looked forward to the game all summer, counting the weeks until they became days.

He could not understand how the tragedy on the East Coast could affect a hockey game in Anchorage. He understood what happened and the tremendous loss of life, but did not realize its impact.

We sat down and discussed that this is perhaps our nation's greatest tragedy, and America's focus must be on this tragedy. We are still trying to find survivors and the perpetrators who did this. The national sports stopped over the weekend to help America keep this focus.

He began to understand after more discussion and explanation of questions such as, "if they catch the guys who did this by Saturday, will they still have the game on Sunday?"

Sports, or the lack of it, helped him understand that this horrific disaster affects America as a whole, not just a region. He now understood that some things are more important than a game.

Missing the game became less of an issue with him as he struggled to make sense of it all.

Although the national sports stopped for the weekend, local sports did not. The local sporting events provided a means for people to join together, not only to watch an event, but also to remember and pay our respects as a community.

The mood at this weekend's events was noticeably different.

When the flag was carried to mid-field during the Potato Bowl pregame ceremony, the still and somber crowd graciously paid their respects in a manner that makes one proud to be a part of this community.

You could have heard a pin drop among the capacity crowd at Veterans' Memorial Field during the moment of silence paid to our fallen Americans.

In response to this national tragedy, our community and nation has put sports in its proper perspective. After all, it is just a game.