Sports more than just a game
It's not hard to misunderstand sports. Overpaid athletes, money hungry owners, and prime time television slots dominate today's version of professional athletics.
Despite all that I still love professional sports. There are still moments like Boston Red Sox ace Curt Schilling pitching in the World Series with loose ankle tendons causing him to bleed and actually don red socks.
Amateur-level sports also have plenty of great moments. Like when a high school football team in California scores an unimaginable game-winning touchdown with fans of the other team already storming on the field during a premature celebration.
Then there are moments like this past Sunday when the Kansas Off-Road Riders changed the name of its championship race to the Justin Anderson Memorial Race.
The kind of moments that provide the ice for all of sports black eyes.
The race, which takes place at Green Acres Raceway here in Marion, is named after the 21-year-old rider who was killed in a car-motorcycle accident in June, 2003.
Talking to people at the race made me proud to be a sports fan. So often sports is called nothing but "a silly game," or a meaningless event that only fans of that sport care about.
Sunday the sport of motocross was more than a game, it was a savior.
Justin Anderson loved motocross. It held a place in his heart probably only matched by family and friends.
Not many things in life are that important to people. The old saying of "it's only game," is half true. It is a game. But far from only a game.
Sports is emotion, it's excitement, and for some it is life.
If sports were only a game, dedicating the memory of his life to a motocross race would mean nothing.
Instead it means everything. It means everything to his family, friends, and even a sportswriter who never knew him.
CONTACT: If you have a news tip, question, or comment, call Sportswriter Mike Norris, 382-2165, or e-mail sports@marionrecord.com
