BY MARK CHIN

In print | Published November 19, 2009 — Updated November 25, 2009 16:58

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, this week’s column doesn’t contain my usual diatribes against random athletes or organizations. It instead focuses on less emphasized reasons why sports are meaningful to such a large portion of the U.S. population (98.7 million people, or a little less than a third of the population, watched last year’s Superbowl). I wanted to provide reasons for every individual to be thankful for sports — even those individuals who wouldn’t find spending a Thanksgiving evening watching the Detroit Lions or Dallas Cowboys play football enjoyable (but who can blame them for not wanting to watch the Lions?).

Late this summer, I read an article by ESPN columnist Rick Reilly (“Camp Sundown shines in the Bronx”) describing a trip taken by 11 kids, diagnosed with xeroderma pigmentosum, to Yankee Stadium. Children with XP can never be exposed to sunlight because they develop cancerous tumors at the mere exposure to UV rays (Reilly notes that individuals with XP rarely live past the age of twenty).

Yet here these kids were in Yankees Stadium at 3 a.m., wearing sunblock and covered head to toe with layers of clothing. There too were Yankees A.J. Burnett, Alfredo Aceves and Derek Jeter, playing Wiffle Ball with these children who could barely imagine playing Wiffle Ball out in the sun, let alone with professional athletes. And the kids loved it. Reilly’s article moved me.

Many people believe professional athletes earn too much money for performing such an “unimportant” job; few deserve the millions they are paid. To some, their money spent on unnecessarily large houses and cars would be better spent, for example, invested in the research for terminal illnesses.

But not all athletes are mercenaries only seeking a higher paycheck. Many athletes give back to the community. They create funds and foundations to provide better opportunities for impoverished children or to provide aid to areas hit by natural disasters. The Giving Fund, which annually ranks the top celebrities who have made the largest public donations, ranked six athletes in its top 30 for 2008. Pat Tillman, a former NFL player, left his career as an athlete to enlist in the U.S. Army months after the 9/11 attacks (he was killed by friendly fire on April 22, 2004). Tillman was anything but a mercenary in pursuit of personal monetary gain. He gave up his career, and ultimately his life, to do what he believed was defending his country.

Most people think about the failure of the government to provide aid and relief to the inhabitants of the gulf when they think about Hurricane Katrina. Most think about the disaster’s devastating impact and the poor preparation that allowed the calamity to occur. Few people think about the NFL New Orleans Saints when they think about the aftermath of Katrina. But some of those inhabitants of New Orleans who faced the decision of whether to leave the city they loved or to stay in the metropolis that was devastated by the natural disaster might. That year the Saints reached the NFC Championship Game. And I don’t doubt that their success gave the inhabitants of New Orleans something to be proud of and to be happy for amidst a year of devastation.

As seen by the impact of the Saints on New Orleans residents, sports do not just provide entertainment for some individuals; they become integrated into an individual’s life and traditions. Sports have the incredible ability to unite people together over generations, religions, ethnicities and classes. One of the most powerful memories I have of my childhood was watching the Yankees play baseball with my father. For years, we watched the Yankees win championship after championship. Together. Even when the Yankees lost, the time we spent watching was important; it gave us time to bond and talk about a common interest, something that was lacking in our relationship when I was younger due to a cultural gap. The effect sports had on our relationship may seem petty to other people, but I still called my dad from Swarthmore the night the Yankees won the World Series this year. And I’m sure there are many sports fans out there who can recall similar experiences when sports brought family members across generations together.

But the unifying power of sports isn’t just restricted to a single household; sports can unify entire cities (as seen in New Orleans, or other cities with strong historic backgrounds for sports such as Pittsburgh) and can unify entire countries.
It can resolve conflict. Most people are familiar with how a segregated town was united by football during the Civil Rights Movement in Remember the Titans (hearing Hurst and Harris chant “Left side!” and “Strong side!” still gives me chills). But how many people know that the 2006 World Cup caused fighting factions in the Côte d’Ivoire, a country in the midst of a civil war, to agree to a cease-fire? And how many believe that one hockey game can have a huge impact on a country’s morale? The U.S.’s victory over the Soviet Union (who at the time had what most considered the best hockey team in the world) in the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid obviously did not end the Cold War, but can there be any doubt of the victory’s impact on the American people’s morale? For a few weeks that winter, nearly all the people in the entire country, in spite of differences, united in support of a hockey team comprised of college kids, who were able to pull off one of the hugest upsets in sports history. Are there more telling examples depicting the power of sports?

Most athletes don’t spend their time trying to discover cures for terminal illnesses or fighting for equality for less fortunate individuals. The majority of professional athletes can hardly be considered angels, but sometimes making a difference in the world for some of these athletes does not necessarily mean donating millions to charity. Sometimes something as simple as giving a child who lacks the opportunity the experience of his or her lifetime is just as important and meaningful. Sometimes individuals don’t need athletes to be their saviors; sometimes it’s enough that sports bring people together. At the very least, sports are something everyone can be thankful for.

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