9-11: Reminded Us All That Sports Are Games

I started my first job out of college on Sept. 11, 2001. After leaving the University of Washington, I was hired as an assistant football equipment manager at the University of Virginia. It had been a whirlwind transition, and we had a game against Penn State scheduled for two days later on ESPN Thursday Night Football. I thought it would be a typical game prep day, inventorying uniforms and packing game supplies.

Then at 10:28 a.m. the North Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed, and I froze with my eyes locked in on the television in total shock. The World Trade Center was one of the first things I saw during my first-ever plane trip to New York City when I was a senior in high school. To see such a powerful symbol of American commerce, and people's lives lost so senselessly, is an image that will stay in the back of my mind forever.

"We are all on 'Team USA' and right now the focus of our attention is on our fallen teammates and the game plan of how to win the battle against the evil of terrorism.” Those were the words of then University of Virginia football coach Al Groh shortly after the 9-11 attacks and ensuing postponement of the Penn State game to December.

Groh was right: From the day that happened America became Team USA. I knew when the time was right that sports would resume and take an even more prevalent role as an agent in helping the nation come together and heal.

Fast forward to Sept 22, 2001, in Clemson, S.C., arriving to site of a contingent of bomb-sniffing dogs to inspect our equipment that we were bringing into our locker room for the game against the Tigers that night. Usually football equipment trucks are the last thing to go through any type of hardcore security inspections. So, this was an eye-opening experience that prepared me even more so for any type of security measure I would need to follow for my teams as they traveled by plane in following weeks.

As for the game itself, 80,000 people came together and bonded in support of their teams. Virginia left with a last-second win. It was a pleasant reminder that sports truly are games. That includes the highs (winning national championships) or lows (losing at the NCAA Women's Soccer College Cup in 2007 to USC and in 2008 on a penalty kick to North Carolina while I worked at UCLA.) I know deep down that life will go on. It doesn’t mean that losing doesn’t hurt -- but life goes on.

Finally, the country started appreciating its military, police and firefighters more after 9-11. And I’d like to thank all of our men and women who have served this country to protect the freedom of the United States of America. To this day we still have the freedom to come together and do something simple like watch a sporting event.

For example, 36,000 people raising U.S. flags in unison at Saturday afternoon's Sounders FC game at Century Link Field and chanted “USA, USA, USA.” Also, there’s the freedom for a community like Enumclaw to step up and build a state of the art turf field through grassroots fundraising and teamwork.

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