Near Tragedy Puts NFL in Perspective

Everyone has a story, and it is difficult for people who look at sports as a form of entertainment to put and keep that into perspective. A lot of people look at professional sports as a way to play fantasy games, sports betting, online casino games, and other ways to play a game within the actual games.

All that took a back seat when Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin absorbed a hit from Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, stood up like normal and then collapsed. Hamlin was on the ground and tended to by medical personnel for more than 20 minutes before loading into an ambulance and rushed to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

The looks on the faces of the players – both his Bills teammates and Bengals opponents – said so much. Such a violent game that encouraged brutally hitting the person lining up across from you felt so small.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is generally cool and confident without wavering from that look. But he looked on in shock and disbelief, pictured alongside Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Other players were in tears. Team players were led.

It was a horrific scene that caused the game to be suspended in the first quarter and eventually postponed. It is even in question if the game – which featured two of the three teams battling for the top seed in the AFC – will be made up at a later date due to the NFL calendar.

At the end of the day …

It was a subtle reminder that this is just a game, and it can be very violent. The looks on the players’ faces were emotional to the casual fans who were watching at home. The social media fallout was a sight to behold, as there were fans from all teams sharing thoughts and prayers in support of Hamlin, the Bills, and even Higgins.

In the hours after, fans moved over to the hospital to support Hamlin and anybody else who visited. Throughout the night, there were more videos and photos appearing of fans leading prayers together, Bengals fans hugging Bills fans, and other scenes that showed great humanity.

We will see what the fallout is from the National Football League in terms of what legislation may come or how these situations can be handled in the future.

Television coverage

The game was broadcast on ABC and ESPN. The teams from Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Lisa Salters at the stadium to the different studios that provided commentary all stuck to one thing: “Report what you know.”

A lot can be said about the ESPN empire and its pivot to more debate shows and other entertainment segments. But on this night, it got back to its roots and provided commentary from a players’ perspective – from Ryan Clark to Booger McFarland – along with live reporting from the stadium and hospital by the different ESPN reporters and writers who were assigned to cover the game.

For more than an hour, Scott Van Pelt hosted a show without a commercial break. He tossed to the NFL Live studio, which was on standby for the halftime show, brought in Buck and Aikman, and directed the show fairly well, even when people went silent because of the shock and loss for words.

It was truly an event that is hard to prepare for because something like that in football has never happened.

Support is great

As Hamlin was battling for his life after suffering a cardiac event and becoming intubated, there were old videos and photos being shared of Hamlin. Among those were his wide smile and how he shared his big heart of service toward his local Pittsburgh community and family.

He started a charity with a goal of $2,500 that he would use to buy toys to give to children. As the night and days grew on, fans donated more than $5 million to the donation link for his charity to be a blessing to others.

Again, it was a great showing of humanity all around.

What’s next?

Clark put things into great perspective that these athletes are wired to “next man up” and be violent, but the reality of death came to the forefront during that game. It’s hard to know what will happen from a mental health and physical ruling, but it really put things into perspective.

Near Tragedy Puts NFL in Perspective to NFL Football Blog

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