Kyle Bahr: A day when sports did not matter

We who work on the sports section of this newspaper often refer to ourselves proudly by the self-proclaimed acronym DPOSTM, "The Daily Pennsylvanian's Only Staff That Matters."

But we -- the section we create and the things we write about on this back page -- did not matter Tuesday.

There were no games to be played, no balls to be thrown and no races to be run on that tragic day whose sounds and images will be forever etched into the minds of our generation.

Life, on that day, was the only thing that mattered.

All we could do was watch in numbed disbelief as pillars of our great nation burned and crumbled. Prayer and grieving became our sole actions while fellow human beings perished within those walls.

There was no room on that day for thoughts about home runs or pennant races, touchdowns or titles, sand wedges or sideouts.

Some, like myself, punched telephone numbers frantically, searching for loved ones we feared could have become victims of these horrible, cowardly attacks.

Others stood close by our sides, providing comfort in that time of grave distress.

Those things I had mused over the night before -- will Michael return? will the Cubs catch the Giants? can our football team repeat? -- were all crushed under the weight of that which truly mattered.

Those who committed this atrocity aimed at tearing apart the fabric of America.

For a moment, they may have succeeded. Our security was at once overcome by a feeling of terror. Our freedom shackled by a sense of helplessness.

But by coming together in spirit, by sharing our compassion with the victims and survivors of this senseless travesty, we regained our strength and our resolve.

Our wounds may never heal from this, but the ideals we stand for still remain.

America, as it forever will be, is intact.

But where do we go from here?

What do we do now that our lives, more radically than our skylines, are permanently changed by these events?

We are more than two days removed from the tragedy that I heard building on the radio as I awoke Tuesday and watched in shock on television screens, yet I still feel fear.

My heart skips a beat whenever I hear a siren on the street, and I reflexively look skyward when I hear the drone of an airplane's engine.

How do we cope with the most catastrophic event that, God-willing, we will ever have to face in our lives?

As the leaders of our nation have suggested in press conferences amid the turmoil, we must try to return to a state of normalcy. Our lives, however deeply impacted, must begin to go on.

This newspaper, along with countless other media organizations, did the correct thing by cancelling its sports coverage in the face of this tragedy.

Sports, on that day, did not matter.

But as we recover from this profound shock, those things which at that moment had no room in our thoughts will now become invaluable in helping us move forward.

The games we play, or watch others play, will help us once again feel happiness, enjoy life and see beauty.

We will once again become engaged in the crack of the bat and loop of the ball flying over that faraway wall. And for that single moment, the burning buildings and lost lives may be temporarily pushed to where they may cause us no grief.

Perhaps most importantly, our sports will keep us united, whether as teammates or fans or just strangers meeting on a court for a game of pickup basketball.

The Eagles players, Eagles fans and the kid wearing the Eagles jersey while playing two-hand touch in a local park will all find strength and comfort in the togetherness they feel with their fellow man.

Once again, sports will matter.

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