Sporting Views: What Local Athletes and Sports Teams Can Do to Help Neighbors After Sandy
Last week was one we won’t soon forget because of the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. The aftermath of this storm will be felt for a very long time. For anyone who lost a family member or friend because of Sandy, my thoughts and prayers go out to you and your loved ones.
It’s unfortunate and uncontrollable events like this storm that put life in perspective for all of us. Within this column in the past I have reached out to readers by telling a story about an athlete or athletic team that has accomplished something extraordinary in a particular sport.
But where does sport fit it into our daily lives? I believe that all athletic events should have been canceled last week because of the circumstances caused by the weather. I understand its playoff time in local fall high school sports, but things can always be rescheduled if people stay calm and think outside the box.
I’m glad Mayor Michael Bloomberg finally came to his senses and cancelled the New York City Marathon. The fact that it took until Friday afternoon was horrendous. I’m not against running or the marathon. The fact is I love the running world and have loved the New York City Marathon for over 30 years. It’s one of my favorite days to be in Manhattan and it’s the most inspirational and important athletic event held in New York every year.
That being said, you can’t have a running race through the five boroughs when there is so much work to be done to help people in need. Saving people’s lives and helping them rebuild should always come before an athletic event.
It would have been a nice gesture for the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and the New York Giants to cancel their games for one week, but that is just my opinion.
Now that we have gotten past one week since Sandy hit, a vital question we should ask ourselves is how local sports teams can help people deeply hurt by this storm. I think there are several things that can be done to make a positive impact for the people in the Westchester area.
Here’s an idea. If fall athletic teams want to play another game let’s find a way to make it happen and raise a few dollars for storm victims at the same time.
The head of Section 1 Sports could have a meeting with all athletic directors and football coaches of teams not involved within the state tournament that want to play one more football game. Let the schools that want to, play another game as long as they agree to help raise money to give to the Red Cross or other local charity that can help people in the area.
With basketball season around the corner let’s give school districts and student groups a chance to think outside the box and come up with ways to not only raise money, but collect food and host blood drives.
Let’s bring back some exhibition basketball games to raise money. When I was in high school we had a charity game in which the seniors played a game versus the teachers and seniors’ parents. Such events could contribute significantly to hurricane recovery. 50/50 raffles for hurricane relief are another way to raise cash.
If a team or school has an interesting idea for an event to raise money for the victims of Sandy, I will gladly promote the event and do what I can to make it as successful as possible. Let me know what you might have going on.
Many times within this column I address the concept of teamwork and what high school athletics teaches a student athlete. When you are part of a team, the individual with the most talent is just as important as the person who gets the least amount of playing time. When team sports work correctly teammates work together to make not only their individual skills better but also those as a team.
When it comes to hurricane relief all of us are on the same team, the community team. It’s time for us to come up with ways to work together to help those who need the most at this critical time.
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