The Daily Gamecock

Column: Sports have power beyond playing field

Fans Peyton Holton (front) and Shawn Lopez pay tribute by signing posters at a memorial for Miami Marlins' pitcher Jose Fernandez, who died on a boat accident Sunday morning, on Monday, Sept. 26, 2016 at Marlins Park in Miami, Fla. (Pedro Portal/Miami Herald/TNS)
Fans Peyton Holton (front) and Shawn Lopez pay tribute by signing posters at a memorial for Miami Marlins' pitcher Jose Fernandez, who died on a boat accident Sunday morning, on Monday, Sept. 26, 2016 at Marlins Park in Miami, Fla. (Pedro Portal/Miami Herald/TNS)

There’s more to sports than most people would assume. People just think it’s athletes tossing a football across a field, running around the bases or trying to score the most points to win. Although this is all accurate, there’s so much more to it, and true sports fans know it and have seen it recently.

Sports bring people together; not just the people you play with on your team or the people you meet who like the same teams as you. They can bring a group, community or entire country together during tough circumstances.

A year ago, the “1000-year flood” altered Columbia. It was devastating to see the place I call home go through this tragedy, people lose their homes and businesses wash away, while students had no power or running water. That’s when I saw the impact that sports could have.

South Carolina is part of the SEC, and they proved to be one big family. Schools including Vanderbilt and LSU filled their athletic buses with water and supplies to help residents get by. The Gamecocks also had an approaching home game against LSU, but the Tigers graciously opened up their stadium, offered cheaper tickets and made a tribute to Columbia before kickoff. Although the Gamecocks lost, the generosity LSU gave and the Gamecocks going out there and playing a game gave Columbia the strength to pick up the pieces and deal with what happened.

Clemson and South Carolina also came together during their rivalry game with the two bands playing together during halftime and forming the words "SC STRONG," showing their support for each other during the times they need.

Sports can also help people grieve the loss of loved ones or professional athletes. The world was shocked and devastated when it woke last Sunday morning to discover that Miami Marlins young star pitcher, Jose Fernandez, died in a boating crash early that morning. Fernandez was just 24 and could have turned into one of the best pitchers of all time.

Every sports fan was heartbroken by this news; such a young, talented future star to be taken so tragically, not even reaching his full potential. But the sports world doesn’t slow down — they keep playing.

When the Marlins resumed their games, everything was filled with emotion. After an emotional pregame Dee Gordon, a close friend of Fernandez, stepped into the box and hit a leadoff home run, and cried his entire way around the bases. Gordon needed that. The sports world needed that. Everyone in that park, and anyone who watched that clip, cried with Gordon, as it meant so much. It showed that the game must go on. The Marlins went on to win the game, and you could tell how much it lifted their spirits.

I am in no way a Marlins fan, but I couldn’t help but feel the emotions throughout this entire game. Seeing my friends and other baseball fans across the country also get moved by all of this showed how impactful sports are. It helped everyone deal with the loss of a great one, and remember how many amazing moments lie ahead.

Just this year, the sports world has also dealt with the losses of hockey legend Gordie Howe, golf superstar Arnold Palmer and the greatest boxer of all time, Muhammad Ali. All of these athletes were well past their playing careers, but honoring their lives brought fans together and helped give strength to the athletes following their paths.

Sports are such a special thing. I am not an athlete at all, but the joy, support, and love it has given me cannot be replaced. The friendships I’ve formed with other fans are some of the greatest, and we can all go through these moments together. No matter what team you like or how into sports you are, sports can help you get through anything in ways you didn’t know were possible. 


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