Athletes help out in wake of tragedy

Christina Teller Teller wrote this column
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Three men, at ground zero of the the World Trade Center
destruction, give each other a hard time about fantasy football in
New York City.

The conversation goes something like this, according to ESPN the
Magazine.

New York City firefighter to Giants wide receiver Joe
Jurevicius: “You cost me money in my fantasy league. You
catch any one of those passes (Kerry) Collins threw to you Monday
night, I win.”

Giants quarterback Kerry Collins: “Not his fault. I should
have thrown it farther.”

One firefighter, two professional athletes ““ a moment of
relief.

Professional athletes have been coming out of the woodwork to
help in the country’s time of need.

It’s about time.

In the past few weeks, I have gained a renewed belief that
professional athletes possess a sense of what really goes on around
them ““ that they really do live in the same world as the rest
of us.

In the wake of the Sept. 11 tragedies, I read for the first time
that notable personalities in the world of sports realize the
social responsibility that comes along with their positions.

Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig said it best.

“Our game, besides being the national pastime, is a social
institution with social responsibilities that include responding to
an unimaginable crisis such as this in a timely and significant
manner,” he said.

They feel the same pain. They shed the same tears. They want to
help just as much.

“I hurt a lot for those people,” Barry Bonds told
ESPN the Magazine. “I hurt a lot.”

This from a man who balks almost every time he is asked to tell
us how he feels about anything he experiences as an elite baseball
player. Bonds’ usual response is that other people
don’t understand because they’ve never experienced what
he has.

But this time it’s different. This tragedy has gripped the
hearts and minds of every American ““ even professional
athletes.

Washington Redskins offensive tackle Chris Samuels, along with
other teammates, visited victims who had been injured in the
attacks at the Washington Hospital Center.

Members of the Redskins also visited the Pentagon, while a group
of New York Giants visited ground zero to offer support and
encouragement to rescue workers at the sites.

It’s not just that these people went to the disaster
relief sites. It’s the fact that these professional athletes
showed that they realize that they are an important component of
how this society functions and they can make a difference because
of it.

As nice as it would be for the Ordinary Joe to visit ground zero
and encourage the rescue workers, it takes on a whole new meaning
when the quarterback for the New York Giants is out there with his
teammates.

For him to go to the site of the disaster is humbling.

Collins could complete 28 of 28 passes in his next game. He
could throw for seven touchdowns. He could take his team to the
Super Bowl.

But that doesn’t mean a thing. That doesn’t bring
people back to life. That doesn’t help sift through the
rubble. That doesn’t make America safe again.

What does matter is the fact that he as a professional athlete
is doing his part to help.

He is doing what all of us want to do. To joke around with the
rescue workers. To tell them how brave they are. To bring a smile
to their faces in the 20th hour of their shift.

That’s what it’s all about folks.

And it seems like many professional athletes realize that they
have the power to do more.

Shareef Abdur-Rahim has pledged to donate $100 for every rebound
he snags this season.

Bonds will donate $10,000 for every home run he hits from No. 67
on.

Michael Jordan will donate his 2001-02 salary of $1 million to
the victims of the attacks.

“Like everyone else in America, I have a strong and
sincere need to assist with the relief efforts,” Abdur-Rahim
said. “Creating this fund allows me and my colleagues to put
our basketball talents to work off the court and make a
difference.”

In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 tragedy, a new sense of
community has developed among Americans.

It’s nice to be know that professional athletes finally
want to be a part of it too.