That same day, this happened.
Jack Hoffman, a 7-year-old brain cancer patient, scored a touchdown during Nebraska's spring football game.
Jack is on a two-week break from a 60-week chemotherapy treatment. He was diagnosed with cancer last April and has had two surgeries.
Again, he's only seven years old.
Saturday, he wasn't in a hospital but on a field, decked out in full Huskers uniform, running 69 yards into the end zone in front of 60,000 cheering fans.
"It felt awesome," Jack said afterward.
Nebraska football gave a boy, who has probably suffered a lot of not-so-great feelings the past year, an awesome one.
Dr. Ablow writes in his piece, "Here’s the truth about sports of all kinds: They are fun, entertaining, money-making activities that showcase the human spirit of competition at an exquisite level and that don’t matter to the world, in the long run, when it comes down to it, at all. Not one bit. Not an iota.
Tell that to Jack, Dr. Ablow.
"The truth is that if every college sports contest in the world took place with no publicity, in arenas without cameras, covered not even by school newspapers, nothing much would change. It wouldn’t affect anything that matters to anyone, really."
Tell a kid who has spent 60 weeks in chemo that his touchdown didn't affect anyone, really.
"Because games are games are games. They don’t matter. Not really. Not at all. Not one bit. Not an iota."
Tell the 7-year-old still fighting cancer his moment mattered "not an iota," that's it's just a game.
Without Saturday's game, Jack wouldn't have gotten to experience what has to be the greatest moment of his young life embroiled in adversity.
That doesn't matter, Dr. Ablow?
No sector of society is without ill. Politics and religion, just to name a couple institutions, have been wrought with scandal and corruption. That doesn't mean they are stripped of all value.
"Because games are games are games. They don’t matter. Not really. Not at all. Not one bit. Not an iota."
Tell the 7-year-old still fighting cancer his moment mattered "not an iota," that's it's just a game.
Without Saturday's game, Jack wouldn't have gotten to experience what has to be the greatest moment of his young life embroiled in adversity.
That doesn't matter, Dr. Ablow?
No sector of society is without ill. Politics and religion, just to name a couple institutions, have been wrought with scandal and corruption. That doesn't mean they are stripped of all value.
The same goes for sports.
No, they are not perfect. In fact, they are imperfect in many ways, the deplorable actions of Mike Rice a good example of that. But what isn't?
Sports do matter.
A lot.
To a lot of people, like Jack, who are sick or sad or just need a dose of joy after a rough day.
Go ahead, try telling Jack Hoffman sports don't matter, Dr. Ablow. I don't think that's an argument you're going to win.
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