Month: September 2016

every post game interview ever..

It’s incredible to think that there is now almost a complete generation of Americans who have little or no direct recollection of the day the United States was attacked and thousands of people lost their lives when the two tallest buildings collapsed to the ground in New York City.

I suppose my parents’ generation felt much the same way about Pearl Harbor and all of the horrors that came about out of World War II.

Of course, I remember 9/11 and as long as I have my full mental capacities, I always will. I’ll remember one of our administrative assistants sticking her head into my office and telling me a plane had hit one of the World Trade Center towers. I’ll remember doing almost no work that day as I was hitting “refresh” on CNN.com every minute or two. And I’ll remember trying to reach friends who lived and/or worked in Manhattan to make sure they were safe.

As much as that day, though, I’ll remember what came after.

I’ll remember the stories of the bravery and ultimate sacrifices made by first responders that day.

I’ll also remember the way sports helped return a sense of normalcy to our lives, while at the same time giving us an avenue for expressing our strong resolution that, while we Americans disagree on many things, we are one people and when you come after us the way Al Qaeda did that day, we will stand together.

There’s a lot of talk today about how various NFL stadiums, athletes and others will be choosing to memorialize this 15th anniversary of that day. I’m sure some will be better than others, but I’m confident there will be some very touching scenes.

That’s all well and good.

But what I would much prefer to see is a return to that sense of unity that we all felt in the aftermath of that attack. In the past 15 years, it feels like we have turned from a diverse people held together by a common pride in what our country can stand for into a population irreparably fragmented along lines defined by political ideology, race, gender and other factors.

That saddens me and, in some ways, it makes me feel like we might be dishonoring somewhat those who have given their lives so that we are free to express our differences.

Later today, I’ll spend my day watching the Vikings on television and going to Clinton to watch the Kernels in the Midwest League Playoffs, Most of you will be doing similar “normal” Sunday things, as well.

But for just a few moments, let’s reflect on 9/11 – and the way we’ve evolved as a population over the subsequent 15 years – and consider what each of us can do to make our country something worthy of honoring those who lost their lives that day

-Steve

P.S. This weekend, I read an incredible recounting of 9/11 from the perspective of the people who were traveling with President Bush on 9/11. It’s at Politico.com and you can find it by clicking here. It’s not a quick read, but it’s well worth your time. One thing that really stood out to me was just how “backward” technology was just 15 years ago, even aboard the most technologically well-equipped aircraft in the world, at the time.