By: Jack Rubin
Sports unite people. They bring families, friends and cities together to fight for one thing – championships. Fans invest hours upon hours watching their teams play night after night for months on end. Whether it is ecstasy, pain or grief, few things bring raw emotions out of people like sports do.
On April 15, 2013, tragedy struck the city of Boston. A senseless act of terrorism killed three people and delivered life-altering injuries to hundreds of others. The city of Boston shut down. A manhunt started in search of the two criminals responsible for creating a permanent scar one of the most joyful days in Massachusetts, Patriots’ Day. The Boston Marathon occurs every year on Patriots’ Day, the Red Sox play at 11 a.m., thousands take off from work or school to enjoy a beautiful day in the city they love.
The 2013 Boston Red Sox began their campaign to win for their city with black armbands on their sleeves and “Boston Strong” patches on their jerseys to commemorate the victims just one day later in Cleveland. On April 20 Daniel Nava clubbed a three-run home run to win their first game back in Boston with Fenway Park under police surveillance as the manhunt continued. Before that game, Big Papi famously delivered his pregame remarks, and it was that day that the men in the Red Sox clubhouse knew exactly what their role was.
They played baseball to unify a broken city, to bring millions together, as sports so often do.
I was in seventh grade in 2013. In baseball’s case, the season runs from March to October. Spring comes, summer leaves, fall begins, and there is always baseball being played. It is a constant in so many people’s lives. I finished a year of middle school, went to summer camp, began another year of school all in the span of one magical baseball season.
I was fortunate enough to be in Fenway Park on the night that the Red Sox capped off the most meaningful season in their history next to their 2004 championship. The energy and happiness I experienced in that stadium that night was something I will hold on to for the rest of my life, along with the 30,000 other fans in the park and millions watching at home. All of us strangers were united by the guys on the field fighting for a city, and even though the season began with a tragedy they finished it with pure bliss.
When I think about the 2013 Red Sox, I think about Big Papi. I remember his rallying speech in the dugout during the World Series and feeling like I was part of the team. I think about all the beards and how much the team loved playing for Boston. Boston Strong became a mentality throughout the city, throughout New England, and the 2013 Sox embodied Boston Strong 162 times from March to September and then 16 more in October. They spent 164 days in first place, never looking back even knowing what was behind them.
The Boston Globe front page from October 31, 2013 that hangs above my bed at home reads, “Tested and Triumphant: Resurgent Red Sox give battered Boston a world championship.” Sports deliver us iconic moments, they create our heroes, they give us days to look forward to and provide countless memories. This Red Sox team was so special because they gave fans all of the aforementioned at the perfect time.
Commenti