Cheers for athletes now reserved for frontline workers

First published April 2020, Worcester Telegram and Gazette

As a fan of Boston sports, I'm often asked how bad it is living in New York City. In fairness I'm lucky, as I've grown up with Boston being a City of Champions, and friendly competition is always more fun when you win.

New York is a city that is home to people from all over, so you can always find your team, your people and the game you want to watch. Due to the pandemic, New York along with the rest of the country, finds itself completely locked out of sports from top to bottom. 

Professional sports seasons, rightfully so, have been put on an unprecedented and indefinite pause caused by the coronavirus. We didn't have baseball's opening day, we don't know when the NBA and NHL playoffs will be played and the NFL revealed its draft over digital streaming.

Our sports heroes have become just like us over night, quarantined and wanting life to go back to normal. 

The kids who look up to these pro athletes, aren't able to go see the pros and now they aren't even able to play in their own games. A few weeks ago, Gov. Andrew Cuomo gave a press conference taking a moment for levity in addressing sports and social distancing.

"You can’t stay six feet away from a person while playing basketball," he said. "You can, but then you’re a lousy basketball player and you’re going to lose. You just cannot do that.”

The governor, clearly a big believer in playing to win, subsequently put an end to group sports in public. The nets came down from the hoops and tennis courts and gates were locked all over the city. The comforting sight of kids playing games and practicing, is now a memory.

Those unwilling to give up their sports altogether found a new way of getting their practice in. Eyewitness News reporter Lauren Glassberg recently covered how children of New York City are responding to their seasons being cancelled. Kids now can Zoom and do drills in their room as a way of getting in their practice as well as connecting with their teammates and coaches.

I've heard the soccer ball being kicked against the wall and the basketball being dribbled around the apartments that surround me. While some might consider this extraneous noise in an already noisy city, these muffled sounds are a call of persistence. 

Adults have also created their own solo routines to get work outs in. I am still seeing people out in Central Park, with their state mandated face coverings on while running, jumping rope and lifting weights.

As for those still missing professional games, cable answered the call. As I was flipping through the channels, I came across a Knicks/ Celtics playoff game and at the top of the screen read April 2013. Re-watching old games, where we already know the outcome, is a way of sourcing entertainment and reliving good times. In this case the Celtics were getting spanked so I changed the channel. No need to relive that.

When times are tough we rely on games to distract us from the harder realities of life. We either play ourselves or cheer on our friends, our family or our team and for a few hours we have a mode of escape. 

Especially following tragedies we have turned to sports, allowing people to come together and begin healing. President Bush threw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium after 9/11 and Big Papi spoke to Fenway Park and the world after the Boston Marathon bombings. We are reminded that we are still here, and we are resilient by nature. 

Due to the type of crisis our country and the world faces, we aren't afforded those moments from sports right now. But we have been gifted a different moment. If anyone were to lose track of time, the world has set an alarm to 7 p.m. You can hear the dull roar of the crowd calling out from the neighborhood, growing louder and louder.

Windows open, people step onto the terrace or fire escape, and thunderously applaud the toughest team we have. So we bang pots and cowbells, play music and yell our thanks to the frontline workers, who are staging a comeback unmatched since the 2017 Superbowl.

We don't know how long this will last, but we know every night that we're cheering at home, they're out there in the field fighting for all of us. After all, the best offense is a great defense.