In Times of Tragedy, Baseball Brings Us Together
Sometimes awful things happen to good people, and we will never understand why. But when strangers and communities rally around families during time of immense grief, it reminds us that we are all connected in one way or another.
Two tragic incidents in the last two weeks have driven this fact home for me, and I want to share.
A few days before Thanksgiving, our organization received word that one of our 14u players, Aaron Vasquez, had collapsed and died while playing basketball. The next few days brought about an immense outpouring of support for the family, and stories of this young man’s character and endearing personality began to fill social media posts and general conversations from parents and players in the facility. Baseball meant the world to this child, and it was evident in everything we heard from his family and friends. Coaches spoke at his memorial service, teammates rallied together to ask how they could help, and as an organization, we vowed to preserve this young man’s legacy through acts of scholarship and good will in perpetuity. We will continue to lift up and support this family in any way possible.
A day later came the tragic incident in Waukesha, WI, where several people participating in and watching a Christmas parade were mowed down by a man and his SUV. One of the victims who perished was 8 year old baseball player Jackson Sparks. His mom made a request that kids coming to the funeral honor him by wearing a baseball jersey. Well this took off….and it’s now a national movement being shared by some extremely influential individuals and professional athletes. Friday, December 3, 2021 is Jerseys for Jackson day across the nation where kids, adults, anyone and everyone will be wearing a jersey in honor of Jackson and in support of the victims in Waukesha.
And if we look back in history, baseball has often been there to heal. I vividly remember how baseball healed the entire nation, and especially my beloved New York City, after 9/11. I still get goose bumps watching footage of President Bush throwing out the first pitch in Yankee Stadium that year, and the USA chants from the sold out crowd that night. I remember the Yankees and Mets players and front office staff assisting families and providing meals at Ground Zero in the days after the attacks. I remember how baseball was there to bring back a small sliver of “normal” for a few hours every night.
There are countless other examples and we can all think of at least one time when baseball was there to save us. Please remember that sentiment and just be a good human. Love each other. Always. xo