Monday, April 15th.  2:50 p.m.

Once again, the world has changed as we know it.  More specifically, the world of sports has changed forever.

As of recent times, it seems that you can never be safe, no matter where you are or under any circumstance- not in a school, not in a movie theater, not even on a national holiday.  There is always a chance- an awful, terrible chance -that an act of terrorism will strike.  Over the past year, our country has experienced some of its worst atrocities, yet at the same time, these tragedies have opened the eyes of the American public.

Patriots’ Day, a holiday commemorating the beginning of the American Revolution, is a very special day to Boston, Massachusetts.  It is a day when the Boston community comes together for a time to celebrate history and tradition.  Schools are out, the Red Sox play their earliest game of the season, and most notably, the famed Boston Marathon is run.

The Boston Marathon, the second longest active foot race in North America, has been run since 1897.  One hundred and thirteen years since the race’s commencement, Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev have arguably crafted one of the most horrific days in Boston’s history, setting off two explosions at the finish line of the twenty-six mile marathon.  The explosions killed three innocent victims, including an eight-year-old boy, and injured an estimated 144 others.

Not only did the Marathon bombings serve as a brutal awakening to Boston, but it also sent a cold, spineless shock around the entire sports community.  It always seemed that inside the world of sports, everything from the outside was untouchable, as if a bubble surrounded this adored athletic realm. However, as a result of the recent attacks in Boston, this imaginary bubble has suddenly burst in the minds of many sports lovers. A realization has struck society that it is no longer safe inside of your favorite sports arena, around the comforting presence of your friends and family cheering, or even the final mile of the Boston Marathon.

The role that the sport’s community has played in response to adversity has been astonishing, specifically serving as an outlet for the city of Boston and its supporters to come together during these difficult times.  Over the past few days, the inundation of support from the Boston community and other teams has been heart-warming.  Numerous fans in Boston have gathered to watch their favorite teams, such as the Red Sox and Bruins, not only to serve as a positive distraction from the Marathon bombings, but also to celebrate what Bostonian’s are calling “Boston Strong,” or the strength and pride of their city.

Similarly, after the September 11th attacks of the World Trade Center just over a decade ago, it seemed that the New York Yankees were put at the center of the Big Apple in a time of desperation.  As Captain Derek Jeter commented in an ESPN interview,”I think we gave people something to cheer for, for three hours a day, which was good.  Especially in the playoffs, I thought a lot of people were watching us and pulling for us.  … it had people’s mind off of [the attacks] for a couple of hours per day.”

Ms. Alexanderson, who grew up in New York rooting for the Yankees, added that during the time period after the attacks of the World Trade Center, the sport’s teams she adored “brought a sense of community and support” and  “gave [the community] hope”.  Also, on being asked about the role that sports plays in general, she added, “I think sports give us hope and acts as an escape. They also create a sense of motivation within us to strive to be like those heroes we see playing our favorite games.  They remind us of our childhood fantasies.”   Most importantly, during difficult times, Ms. A brought up a good point,”Who doesn’t want to remember those good feelings, when every time you turn the news on, you feel a pang of sadness in your gut?”

When watching your favorite team or favorite sport, it’s so easy to forget about everything else that has happened- all of the lives lost, all of those who fight for our safety each day, all of the tragedies.  Just a few days after the Boston Marathon bombings, teams around the globe were honoring the affected victims and officers fighting for our country.  In fact, the New York Yankees, who have arguably the biggest rivalry in sports with the Boston Red Sox, hung signs at Yankee Stadium saying “United We Stand” and played the Red Sox traditional song “Sweet Caroline” during the game to honor Boston.

The sports world makes it so easy to forget tragedy, and take our minds off of the troubles at hand that we often times take for granted the world that we live in.  However, in the face of adversity, the sports community has done a tremendous job of laying down its barriers, by forgetting about the rivalries and tensions that are insignificant compared to the much larger issues at hand.  When times are troubling, there is nothing better than sports.  They provide an opportunity for one of the largest support networks in the world to come together.   They show that as one team, nothing can break us or put us down.  They provide the single most important thing in times of desperation- hope.

Pray for Boston.