THE SPORTS LISPERER #2

And what a January 3rd it should be. The dawning of a New Year as we celebrate the end of 2022 with a fun three-day weekend to lead into 2023. From a sportsman point of view, it was an orgy of college bowl games and pro football nail biters. The ecstasy of the two great games on Saturday where a hugely underrated TCU squad vanquished the stunned Michigan Wolverines followed by an Ohio State team bound to achieve redemption against the mighty defending champions, Georgia. Magnificent, albeit flawed, games with tight finishes, heart break, highly questionable officiating and concluding with an interesting final game. The NFL also provided great games and matchups with successful rejuvenation stories such as Jacksonville and the New York Giants as well as thunderingly loud thuds like Carson Wentz and the Minnesota Vikings. But it all pales in comparison to what happened last night.

I think very few of us will forget the image of Damar Hamlin collapsing to the ground after his tackle of Tee Higgins. In what was hyped as one of the best games of the year and, without doubt, probably garnered the highest ratings of the year, the most awful of instances occurred. Before we get to the tragedy of the event, let us explore the game itself. It was a game between two great teams fighting for the number one seed in an extremely competitive conference. Two teams led by superstars with eyes on a chance to reach the Super Bowl. The outcome of this game meant so much to these two teams and the Kansas City Chiefs. Not to get glib, but it was also the final game of the week where many people were engaged in the championships of their Fantasy Football league. None of the matters today.

As we sat or stood by our television sets, we stood beside the teammates of Damar Hamlin and placed ourselves in their shoes. As we witnessed this young man fighting for his life, we suddenly forgot all that the game was about and focused on what this could become. The only similar event I can recall is that of Christian Eriksen of Denmark collapsing of sudden Cardiac Arrest in a European Championship football match against Finland in 2021. Then, as now, all of the sporting event’s magnitude fell to the wayside.

As ESPN cut to commercial after commercial and the ambulance remained on the field, each and every time, the very thought of a man dying on the field during a game, became more and more real. The looks on the faces of his teammates and the tears shed spoke volumes as to the event transpiring before their eyes. I have borne witness to one tragedy in front of me and that happened many years ago and I know how I reacted. Shock. Stunned. Immobile. And I barely knew the person. Hamlin is the friend and teammate of the men who were watching him struggle. I can’t begin to understand the thoughts going through their minds.

And then the words of Joe Buck saying, ‘The players would have five minutes to get ready to play.’ I don’t know who spoke those words into Joe’s ears or if he made them up himself… but never has a voice been so far wrong in such a circumstance. Yes, we had no idea what exactly what was going on but just seeing the ghastly look on Josh Allen’s face told me enough to know that NO football was being played this night. I hope that there is an investigation into who thought that those were the right words to pass on because some sort of apology and/or punishment should be endowed.

And there so many questions surrounding all of this. Let’s look at the college playoffs games, first of all. What the hell, exactly, makes up targeting? On repeated occasions, this weekend, targeting was either misapplied, incorrectly changed or not called at all. My cousin, Rick, is a football official and I can tell you, nobody takes their job as serious as he and people who are officials. I believe the error lies in the wording of the penalty and the lack of training in the area of that penalty. Now, no, the officials DID NOT cost Michigan the game. Two pick sixes and a baffling fourth and Goal play decision and a lack of respect for their opponent took care of that. However, how is that not a targeting at the end of that game? How is that not a targeting at the end of the USC game? That was a blatant helmet to helmet targeting and the call went to New York… who overturned the targeting. Apparently, I neither know the rule correctly nor do I know how it’s applied. And it’s a pretty important rule.

Think about how football is now taught. It’s taught to go away from leading with the head and the helmet. And that’s how it should be taught. However, this has changed the way tackling is done in the game. If you watch the tackle that Hamlin made upon Higgins, it is an awkward, chest first tackle. In that situation, generally one would lead with the head or shoulder. Now, obviously I don’t know the thought process of Hamlin but just in looking at that tackle, one could see an awkwardness that could come from second guessing and in a game that fast… accidents happen. Was cardiac arrest started from trauma to the chest due to the tackle? Who knows? It is a violent game and new ways to be injured are created each and every week.

Yes, it was an unprecedented occurrence. The men and women on the Trauma team in Cincinnati did an amazing job and Hamlin is probably still alive today because of them. They reacted as I hope one would react if I were in that situation. The NFL, eventually, did the right thing and postponed the game. When will it be played? Who knows. Will it be played? That’s for another day. Today, I’d like to be appreciative of the reaction of the Bengal fans in the stands, the trauma team that worked on Hamlin, the NFL for getting the decision correct and the general reaction of people to this horrible event. Maybe it’s an optimistic thought to start 2023; that we, as a people can show more compassion at a greater level than we have in a long, long time. Be well, Damar Hamlin. We are all behind you and rooting for you.