The Great Distraction

For the past week, the violent and pre-mature death of Washington Redskins' safety Sean Taylor has been front-page news around the nation. By now we all know the story, a 24-year old NFL star and new father was gunned in his own home by suspected burglars. But a lot of the talk in THIS city has been about why we, the public, seem to consider this tragic incident any more important, or any more newsworthy than any of the 300+ murders we as Philadelphians have seen in 2007. It could be as simple as our culture just lends itself to celebrity-obsession, and this is just another case of America being more intimately involved with the people on television than those living in our neighborhoods. But I think it's more complex than that. Today, sports are our common bond. In a nation divided over so much (political allegiances, race, news anchor preference, soft-drink loyalty...), we all love sports. Especially football. Quick check: name thirty-two United States senators. Ok, now name the thirty-two starting quarterbacks in the National Football League. No brainer, right?
We hear it all the time, "it's just a game". And that's true. Sports' main function in society is to entertain the masses. Entertainment is a very fancy word for distraction. Think about it. The aforementioned 300+ murders are a grave problem in our great city. But what is our main concern? Coach Andy Reid's play-calling and personnel decisions. Sports distract us from our mundane, often times depressing, existences. Last night's Monday Night Football game was my impetus's for this article, as I've been mulling over a way to relate the Sean Taylor Story to this blog, being as it is the top story in the nation at the moment. Back to last night's Pats/Ravens game. Being the Patriots mark that I am (no, I am not a traitor, I just appreciate teams who do what it takes to be great, rather than toiling in mediocrity while touting a resume` of almosts and calling their organization the "gold standard") I have been quite caught up in New England's pursuit of perfection. Needless to say, the game engulfed all of my attention. Sure, I had to re-write a paper for a history class in seven or so hours, and yeah, I am having some personal and emotional problems right now and, maybe I have had a mouse in my room for the past week, and, again, yes, I do live in America's most dangerous city. But last night, while watching the 4-7 Baltimore Ravens come less than yards away from de-railing the unbeaten New England Patriots' ride to a perfect regular season, nothing else mattered. All that I cared about was Willis McGahee pounding the Pats' D for three-and-a-half quarters, Rex Ryan calling an unnecessary timeout, Tom Brady leading yet another fourth quarter comeback, Baltimore's disciplinary breakdown, Jabar Gaffney's feet, Kyle Boller's near Doug Flutie-esque hail mary. That is all that went through my mind Monday night. So when people say that the death of Sean Taylor is no more tragic than those of the 300+ in this city over the past twelve months, it is somewhat un-true. Sean Taylor's murder effects us in ways which are almost indescribable. The great majority of us don't know the identities of those lost here in the city, or in other cities, or even of those fighting in Iraq. But we knew Sean Taylor. He was one of the many faces who lived in our bubble-world that protects us from everything that does not take place on a football field. Knowing now that our shelter can be penetrated by the same problems that exist outside of our television sets is rattling, to say the least. And now that we see not even our Great Distraction can keep us totally away from the coldness that is reality, this tragedy forces us, in some ways, to confront the issues from which we were seeking distraction.