By Gabe Bain
He walked out from the cold dark hallway into the more than 50,000-person-occupied stadium. The crowd cheered loudly.
He was immersed by the roars of the crowd – a sound that many in his position have not heard.
Prior to his entrance onto the field, he was echoed some simple advice. Except this piece of advice could make the most confident of men tremble.
“Don’t bounce or they’ll boo you,” said Derek Jeter, shortstop of the New York Yankees.
He walked over to the mound. The real mound. Not the mound that was put there for those who threw the first pitch in the past.
Chants of “USA” moved throughout the historic stadium.
He stretched out his hand and waved to the crowd. It was time. The windup started, and the cheers grew.
Right down the middle. It was the perfect pitch.
This moment was one of the most historic and memorable in all of sports history. Former president George W. Bush’s first pitch during the 2001 World Serieswould not be forgotten.
According to a Time documentary about 9/11, it was the moment that left Bush the most apprehensive in his entire presidency.
“It was the most nervous I had ever been,” Bush said in the documentary. “It was the most nervous moment of my entire presidency, it turns out.”
The sports world has been majorly impacted in the past, but none seem to capture the attention of the fans and players quite like the attacks of Sept. 11.
Following the attacks that Tuesday morning, the whole professional sports world was shut down.
MLB games were cancelled for the rest of the week, and NFL games were cancelled for that upcoming weekend, adding another week to the schedule at the end of year.
The decision to cancel the rest of the MLB season was weighed heavily, but like every tough situation or circumstance, an escape was needed. And for many, the return of sports would bring just that.
Although sports provided many Americans with an escape, it did not make anyone forget what had happened.
Sporting events were important because they brought large groups of people together who shared one similar interest for one night. Security at the games tightened, yet fans still came out to celebrate their teams together.
The Sept. 11 attacks seemed to magnify sports in one of the nation’s lowest times. It did not make sports more important.
In fact, it made them look insignificant. But much attention was turned to them in the following month.
Sept. 17, 2001: The MLB returned as many tuned in to watch Former MLB announcer Jack Buck give his memorable speech and poem titled, “For America.”Buck stood in front of a large crowd in St. Louis and spoke these iconic words: “I don’t know about you, but as for me, the question has already been answered: Should we be here? Yes!”
Sept. 21, 2001: Sports returned to New York 10 days after the attacks. The New York Mets won on a home run hit by New York icon Mike Piazza, a special moment for the entire city. According to ESPN, the Mets’ manager, coaches and players donated their pay for that game ($450,000) to the families of the police officers and firefighters killed during the terrorist attacks.
Sept. 23, 2001: The NFL resumed after a week of cancellations. According to ESPN, a patch was stitched onto every NFL jersey that season to remember those who lost their lives on Sept. 11. The New York Giants and New York Jets also wore a patch to remember the firefighters who had died doing their duties during the attacks.
Sept. 27, 2001: In one of the most iconic baseball moments, Sammy Sosa hit his 59th home run of the year and twirled an American flag between two fingers as he rounded the bases. Sosa being a Dominican-born player showed his respect to the U.S. in its time of need – a moment that many fans would not forget.
Oct. 30, 2001: Game 3 of the 2001 World Series, the first game in New York that series. Thousands of fans cheered on as foes became friends to watch the president throw out the first pitch. It can be said that with one simple pitch, millions were brought closer together following the worst attack on American soil.
But sports did not wash away all the problems after the attacks, and everyone did not forget what had happened.
Sports were simplified during this time.
Everyone remembered that they were just a game. But it seems impossible to deny that the sports world was heavily tied to a moment in history no one will ever forget, bringing people closer together when unity was needed more than ever.
