Never Underestimate The Power Of Sport

Many people have differing opinions, but I don't think that it can be denied that for better or worse (depending on one's point of view), that football is as much a part of the Thanksgiving holiday, as family, and the meal itself. In Massachusetts, we are blessed to be able to watch scores of high school games, as well as the NFL offerings, both pre-and post meal. This year, we were further blessed with the Patriots ending the holiday evening, with their contest\beat down vs. the NY Jets. It was during the prime time Patriots affair, that I contemplated the power of sports, and the effect it has on those of us that live and die with our teams.

Beginning as far back as I can remember, all of the mile posts of my life have been marked by sporting events. My earliest memories contain images of the Red Sox, and the Bruins...my elementary school, through Junior High years were marked by the Original Big three of Bird, Parish, and McChale, during a time period when clashes with the L.A. Lakers in the Finals, seemed like a rite of Spring. Our local teams entered into a bit of a recession as I entered high school, although during my freshman year, the Red Sox made their ill-fated trip to the 1986 World Series. My sophomore and senior years each were marked by a Bruins appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals, both losing efforts, of course.

As I entered my 20's, Larry Bird retired, and with him, went the Celtics fortunes. My memories from this era, are mostly of national games/news events. The 1992 Dream Team at the Barcelona Olympics, the 1994 MLB players strike, as well as the emergence of the NFL, into the world-wide global sports power that it is today, are chief among those memories. The ground work of future Patriots success was laid, with the hiring of Bill Parcells as coach in 1993.

My 30's can best be described as the New England Sports Renaissance, or the Golden Age of New England Sports. The decade began with the Patriots bringing us out of the championship wilderness,with their thrilling victory over the St.Louis Rams, in Superbowl XXXVI. Two more Superbowl titles would follow, as would the Greatest Sports Story Ever Told, that being the Red Sox ending and 86 year drought, by winning the 2004 World Series. The remainder of the decade would also contain the Celtics winning championship number 17, and as my 40's began, the Bruins winning their first Stanley Cup in 39 years.

As wonderful as all of these memories are as a whole, it is the small, singular moments, that make these events special, and which demonstrate the power of sport, as well as the reason why these teams, and games, are so important to us. During all of the events mentioned above, I can recall who I was with, and where we were when all of those games were played. Whether it was watching the 1984 NBA Finals with my entire family, while staying up late on school nights in June, or shaking Johnny Pesky's hand on the morning after the 2004 World Series victory, while in a supermarket in our town of Swampscott, Ma. These are the memories that are etched into my mind, and whose memory will endure, as much as the actual games will.

The 2007 New England Patriots season is another such personal enduring memory. Although the ending was very disappointing, with the Patriots losing Superbowl XLII to the NY Giants, and thus the chance to complete to first 19-0 season in NFL history, it was that season's journey, which will always hold a special place in my heart.

The second half of 2007 was a personally trying period for my family and I, as my mother's health, already deteriorating as a result of Cancer, took a turn for the worse, and she would eventually succumb to the disease in December. As the Summer turned to Fall and October began, Red Sox quest for their second World Series title in four years, coincided with the Patriots chase for perfection. As November turned to December and Winter commenced, Mom was in home hospice care, with a dire prognosis. What these games provided for may family and I (the double header Patriots-Red Sox playoff/World Series games included of course), was the opportunity for atleast a few hours, to get our minds away from the abject sadness, which accompanies the loss of a loved one.

These games also provided Mom, a very big sports fan in her own right, an opportunity to enjoy her favorite teams, and engage in a favorite family past time, in her final days. Did it magically cure her?...No, but I would like to think that doing something that she enjoyed, while in so much pain, perhaps helped to make her a little comfortable. Those final days also afforded us the opportunity to get our last looks at Mom's beautiful smile. It also provided her children with an opportunity to derive some happiness and enjoyment, in a time when all else seemed lost. Perhaps it is a small thing in the grand scheme, but it is, and will always remain, the reason why these sports matter to us.