*FAN SUBMISSION by Charles Kruzits of Catonsville, MD. Follow him on Twitter @kruzindirty.*
Boston Strong. That was the rallying cry that all of the Beantown state latched itself onto after the heinous act that was committed during the Boston Marathon. Innocent individuals lost their lives and it was statement Boston Strong that lifted the community from the ashes.
Courtesy: Facebook
This will come off completely biased but this is a bigger issue that needs to be surfaced. While watching the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs playoff game, I noticed a sign that read “Toronto Stronger.” Obviously, this was a game being played at the Maple Leaf Gardens. Whether I am the lone person to feel this way or not, that sign should have been removed and burned immediately.
Was this a knock on the tragedy or just a fan one-upping the rivals?
The issue that has really burned me is the lack of coverage on this deliberate message to downplay a tragedy. Hailing from the state of Brotherly Love, I am accustomed to the media overreacting and blowing up every single blemish that Philadelphia fans have committed while taking in a sports contest. There are times when the coverage is justifiable, but, a fist fight outside or inside the ballpark is really news worthy for ESPN and other major outlets to cover? Having lived in New Jersey and Maryland, I can attest that these acts are shared among every state that houses professional or even collegiate athletics.
While attending college in New Jersey, I can recall a friend describing a video he watched on YouTube of a Philadelphia Flyers fan assaulting a New York Rangers fan outside of the popular cheese steak venues after a game. I went back to my dorm and watched the video. I was shocked, and quite frustrated while watching this terrible act from my cell-like dormitory. The video hit ESPN, Yahoo, and other major news mediums and rightfully so.But, to say one incident is an every game occurrence, while attending a game in Philadelphia, is wrong.
Boston Strong was a country-wide statement, not just a Boston statement. As Americans, we unite in times of hardship and this situation was no different. The sports rivalries and so forth were diminutive compared to this, and as fans we rallied for Boston. So, when I noticed a fan in a Canadian stadium mocking the tragedy that occurred I was infuriated. Interestingly enough, I haven’t seen nor heard any mentioning of this on popular sites such as ESPN.com and Yahoo.com.
Why? Why not run this story?
Is it ok to disrespect a statement that means so much more than just words written on a paper? Or is it the fact that it’s not an easy target to write about? If it was a Philadelphia stadium that housed such a classless sign I am sure ESPN.com and other media sites would have jumped at the opportunity to bash the city of Brotherly Love. I can understand if you don’t like the Boston accent, or Ben Affleck, or the Big Three, Zdeno Czara, heck even if you despise New England clam chowder. But, for all of those dislikes, it does not give you the right to make such a bold statement and disrespect an incident that affected so much innocent individuals. Including an eight-year-old boy who never got the opportunity to live his life to the fullest and accomplish the lofty dreams he set for himself. “Toronto Stronger” was not some way of giving motivation to the fans and city, but a complete slap in the face of such a tragic incident.
I feel the news should always follow the action on the field or on the ice for this matter, but, when the sportsmanship of fans drops to such low-class levels it should be reported and blasted by the media. The New York Yankees fans supported Boston as in unison they did their own rendition of “Sweet Caroline” and in terms of sports rivalries, that is as fiery as it can get. Even the Bronx Bombers fans understood that the Boston Marathon tragedy meant more than a long-time sports feud.
As the famous Mahatma Gandhi said, “You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.” Thus this fan’s attempt to belittle this polarizing statement can be characterized by many things, but, many of those words not being appropriate to write on this medium.Boston Strong will always trump that low-life of a fan which held the Toronto Stronger sign. And to those reporters who passed this story up, shame on you. Next time just pretend it took place in Philadelphia or another big city and I guess at that point you will have enough brass to throw stones.
