JUST SPORTS BY JEFFREY LO
(DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)
APRIL.
APRIL:
I heard someone say over there, “it’s just sports.”
Just like that.
So flippant.
Like someone telling a child they won’t get the cereal they want at the grocery store.
And look, I understand what they meant.
I understand that in the grand scheme of things it’s easy to blow off –
To ignore –
To not care about sports…
But…
How about –
…
The kid who’s in trouble their entire life but discovers one day that they have a talent for catching footballs.
Or the young man whose parents took out as many loans as they could so their son could go to the school of his dreams and walk onto the basketball team and somehow – someway, get drafted to make it into the NBA for a few seasons. He wasn’t making tens of millions of dollars – sure. But you bet that five hundred thousand a season meant a lot to that family.
…
Or the young girl whose last weeks with her brother were spent watching his favorite soccer team win the world cup? What about her? What about him? What about those women on that team?
…
Just sports.
I get it.
But please.
Get me.
END OF PLAY.