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As sports fans, most of us idolize certain teams and players. Some of us are such big fans that we empathize with “our” team through wins or losses, hard times or successes. We want to feel their pain, and we want to feel their glory. We do everything we can to feel connected, but we know we’re not. Our favorite players, regardless of the sport, are celebrities on a level that most of us cannot even fathom. They are, for lack of a better term, real “super heroes.”
But this week, there have been tragedies that make us realize something: These men and women are human. They face the same type of problems as anyone, sometimes even more so, and their lives can be taken away just as quickly. Unfortunately, we learned that the hard way this past week.
The opening week of the Major League Baseball season was overshadowed by something much more serious than the game itself. It saw the unexpected deaths of three of its members: beloved Phillies announcer Harry Kalas, former Tigers pitcher Mark Fidrych and promising Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart. Kalas, 73, died of heart disease, Fidrych, 54, was found dead under a dump truck after an apparent accident on his Massachusetts farm and Adenhart died when a drunk driver slammed into the car that he was riding in. He was only 22-years old and had just pitched six scoreless innings. All were far too young.
I’m a believer in living with perspective, but even I’m guilty of not doing so at times. We take things for granted and that applies to our role as fans. We get used to seeing our favorite players out there day in, day out that we come to believe they’re invincible. They aren’t. In Harry Kalas’ case, most Phillies fans have never heard a game broadcast by anyone else. As the Philadelphia Inquirer put it: “We lost our voice.”
Athletes and their families are forced to cope with the tragedy and move on. The hardest thing in life is the loss of a loved one, especially when it seems unfair. The next time you’re looking up to your favorite athlete take a second to think about something: The only thing that separates them from you is their athletic ability. Take that away, and they’re just like you.
It’s times like these when we actually feel the connection that we yearn for. It’s times like these when we see professional athletes on the same level as ourselves. It’s times like these that make us realize that nothing in life is guaranteed – not even to the people that seemingly have it all.
