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In the days and weeks after the terror attacks on September 11, 2011, we were all Americans, united together by a singular mourning for the victims of that terrible day. We weren’t Democrats or Republicans, conservatives or liberals, neocons or pacifists. Instead, there a purposefulness to our unity, bonded together as one behind the simple creed of ‘Never Forget.’
We knew in those days that there would be time to discuss policy, to analyze the events and move forward. But for a few short weeks, seemingly frozen in time, we remembered those who left their families that beautiful Tuesday morning and did not return home that night.
Division wasn’t a word we tolerated then. No quarter was given to partisanship. Everyone cheered, no matter the team or the politics, when President George W. Bush threw that strike at Yankee Stadium prior to a World Series game. When athletes ran onto the field with American flags in their hands or the local teams wore hats bearing the emblems of first responders, we cried and cheered.
And now, 20 years later, we are divided. A simple and tasteful tribute to those who lost their lives when the twin towers came down has us divided: Scarlet versus Orange. It is not a ‘bastardized memorial to 9/11’ as some may write.
To claim as such is to bring division on a day where we should be able to unite. Where prayer and contemplation should be the driving force, not politics or a trumped up sense of rivalry.
This weekend, Rutgers football announced that their uniforms for Saturday’s game against Syracuse would include subtle tributes to the men and women who did not return home that days two decades ago. The Scarlet Knights will wear the names of the 37 alumni who lost their lives on 9/11 on their helmets, a tribute that was authorized by those families prior to the announcement.
The players’ gloves will carry the ‘Never Forget’ message and other little notes will call to remembrance that day.
There is no commercialization and no profit to be made unlike professional (and collegiate) teams that seemingly update their jerseys every month to increase their apparel sales.
This is a tribute, understated and perhaps even subtle. o t-shirts emblazoned with a slogan to cause the cash registers to jingle. No special edition jerseys available for fans to purchase.
Instead, the tribute by Rutgers football is a message to remember those who lost their lives. A message of the lives who didn’t return home that night but continue to live on in our communities. Lives cut short that continue to shine a light of hope as we in this tristate area still seek to make sense why our neighbors and family were ripped from us in an instance.
Sports has forever cloaked itself in patriotism. In turn, patriotism has never shied away from throwing on the mantle of sports. From the President throwing out a first pitch at a baseball game to military jets doing a fly-over in pregame ceremonies, the flag has been wrapped around playing fields and arenas for over a century.
But here, today, Rutgers has decided to poignantly and without seeking self, honor those lost on 9/11 in what is still a senseless attack. As communities feel the wounds of that day, the names and memories of those who died are taken onto the football field in what is a small but heartfelt tribute.
In his first stint as head coach of Rutgers football, Greg Schiano can remember that day when he first heard of a plane striking the World Trade Center. He can recall vividly standing at the chalkboard and drawing up a third down play for that weekend’s opponent, California.
Moments later, a member of his staff told him of a plane flying into the twin towers. Shortly after that, he was told of a second plane hitting the iconic towers. That third down play would not be used that weekend. The game wasn’t going to be played.
Schiano watched and tried to guide his team in the hours after the attack. Players tried to reach family and loved ones who might have been in Manhattan that day as they watched the news reports on television. He stepped out onto the practice field and could see in the distance the smoke caused from the burning rubble. Schiano was so close to what happened, but it was seemingly a world away.
There are times in life when what we do is bigger than who we are or the stage we are on. This day, more than most, is a reminder of life and how it should be cherished.
Sports are back. That is what we are being told as crowds return to gamedays across the country. Sports being back is a good thing and so too is the return of rivalries like this one between Syracuse and Rutgers. But too accuse a program of exploiting “a tragedy and a mass grave as a marketing photo shoot” is distasteful.
This is when rivalries go too far and in fact, it stops being about sports. And it is then that we cease to be united like we were 20 years ago.
We can and should do better than this. On this day of all days.