The family motto was coined by a 3-year-old boy seemingly destined to be a newsroom editor.
"Mommy go work; Daddy go ballgame."
Thus the hierarchy is established, the relevancy scale perpetuated another generation.
In the journalism industry, sports has long been referred to as the "Toy Department." Those of us who play with the toys have accepted the snide derision just as we've accepted the fact that "real" reporters and editors get pizza every election night while those who routinely handle the dramatically more frantic football Friday nights get bubkus.
We denizens of the stick-and-ball trade will grant you that there should be no life or death importance in the outcome of any sporting event. If D.J. Shockley throwing an interception, P.J. Daniels fumbling a ball, Michael Vick scrambling for a first down or Steve Spurrier padding a 40-point lead affects your life in any profound way, you have a problem.
It's a game, people. When sports is called a "metaphor for life," that means it's not really life.
That foundation established, there's a certain pride in toy departments everywhere right now. The sports world might be the most important element in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
That's right. No metaphor. Just the truth.
ESPN has an ongoing advertising campaign entitled "Without Sports," humorously citing various ways our lives would be different if the toy department didn't exist.
There's nothing funny about the thought of how our nation would be different in the wake of Hurricane Katrina without sports. Even more than after the 9-11 terrorist attacks, sports are a critical component in the recovery process.
How many more would have been killed
without the Superdome to provide immediate shelter for thousands from the winds and floods?
Where else but a basketball arena at Louisiana State University could the nation's largest triage hospital have been established?
What other functions could consistently attract hundreds of thousands of people with the means and access to donate aid to the Red Cross than football games and golf tournaments?
The sports world stepped up to the plate far faster than FEMA.
Facilities were immediately offered. Fund raisers were established.
Athletes heeded the call to put their good fortune to use for those less fortunate.
Could you not be moved by Atlanta Falcons running back Warrick Dunn's written plea to his peers to provide donations?
Could you not be moved by the NFL's Mannings personally delivering vital supplies to victims in their hometown of New Orleans?
Could you not be moved by NBA players spending off-season time administering aid and morale at evacuee shelters?
Could you not be moved by the Tulane football team preparing "to carry the torch, face, and name" of the university despite a destroyed campus and cancelled fall semester?
Could you not be moved by the stirring road victories by the Louisiana State University Tigers and New Orleans' Saints that lifted the spirits of the region if for only a few hours?
This is not just diversionary stuff. This is real benefit.
The Southeastern Conference, with institutions in four states impacted by Katrina, committed at least $1 million to supplement fund-raising efforts at home football games of all 12 member schools.
If you could walk into the gates at Sanford Stadium last Saturday or Williams-Brice this week and not drop $5, $10, $20 or more into the Red Cross buckets, you're an insensitive lout.
When it comes to the truly important stuff, sports unites people as much as it pits them against each other.
"While we compete fiercely in athletics we also support each other fiercely in times of need," said University of Georgia president Michael Adams of the SEC's united relief effort.
Colleges, who've opened arenas and classrooms to evacuees and displaced students, are not the only entities getting involved.
The NFL's clubs and players have already contributed $8 million in relief funds, and the league has designated Sept. 18-19 as "Hurricane Relief Weekend." It will culminate in a fund-raising telethon incorporated into the special Monday Night Football doubleheader that includes the relocated Saints "home" opener against the New York Giants at the Meadowlands.
The PGA Tour set a goal of collecting $5 million for the U.S. Golf Hurricane Relief Fund. At this week's 84 Lumber Classic in Pennsylvania, more than $1 million will be collected from players, fans and sponsors. Phil Mickelson pledged $250,000 or all of his earnings from this week - which ever is greater.
"Just having our hearts go out to these victims wasn't nearly enough," Mickelson said.
The widespread devastation created by this natural disaster affected millions of fellow Americans in profound ways. The ripples from Katrina's waves extended far beyond the Gulf Coast and will take years to settle.
So when we go to ballgames, let it not be just an escape. Let it be an invitation to give back.
Reach Scott Michaux at (706) 823-3219 or scott.michaux@augustachronicle.com.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2012 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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