Over the last three or four days, I have been reminded that what I do in the grand scheme of life is non-consequential.

Or in the words of Allen Iverson, “We are talking about (spring) practice”.

After watching the news, reading social media, blogs, and more, I’m not smart enough to know what exactly is happening, what should be happening, or what coming next. I’m smart enough to follow the rules and guidelines provided for me by my cardiologist and team of doctors.

However, I have realized something as I have watched and lived what has unfolded the over the last 100 hours or so and that is that sports are important.

And not just because we are bored without them.

Sports sets the tone of this country for many of us.

For a good many Americans, things got real when their passions got postponed or cancelled.

It was easy to say, well they were in Australia when Tom Hanks and his wife Rita announced they had the coronavirus.

But when the NBA, college basketball, and every other sport turned off the OPEN sign, the thoughts of many changed.

Maybe we are all too passionate about sports. Too consumed, if you will. But the reality is that sports are a barometer for many of us. It’s always been that way and it always will.

Sports don’t close, at least not for very long. In fact, history says it’s sports that tells us we are going to be ok.

I was four-years-old when the Miracle on Ice occurred in 1980, so I didn’t get the social impact then, but it was that moment, that win over the Soviet Union, that gave Americans hope that things were getting better.

In 1963, the NFL played two days after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Fifteen days after Kennedy’s death, the Army-Navy game was played.

Even during WWII, there was some elements of sports.

The late Whitney Houston’s National Anthem at the Super Bowl is celebrated as one of the best ever performances. In part because of her talent, but also in part because the nation was at war with Iraq and the biggest football game of the year was a rallying cry.

After 9-11, it was sports that told Americans they were going to be ok when baseball was played in New York 10 days after the terrorist attacks.

It’s no surprised that sports changed the perspective of many this past week when the games we enjoy were cancelled and even the preparations for them halted.

History also tells us that it will be sports that pronounces to many that things are ok once again when an umpire says play ball, a starter announces Tiger Woods name on the first tee or a coach breaks down a huddle on the practice field.

I may not know much. I do know what I write has no bearing on the health of people and I totally understand why the sports world is on hold.

But I also realize after the end of this week that sports dictates the landscape and mindset of many.

And I do know that we need sports back open for business as soon as we can for more than just a game.