SEARCHING THE WRECKAGE FOR SPLINTERS

SEARCHING THE WRECKAGE FOR SPLINTERS:

Personally, I think everything that needs to be said about the core of the Virginia Tech incident from last week has been said. Yeah, it’s said, and no, I’m not heartless or anything, but hearing the same stories over and over for a week doesn’t make it any easier to move on.

Thus, here are some of the interesting side angles dealing with how the black day in Blacksburg inadvertently linked with sports…things you may have missed in the avalanche of news coverage.

-It’s probably not the way they would have liked it to increase, but sports merchandise and apparel makers have raked in the cash over the last week. It seems like everywhere you turn nowadays, someone has something Virginia Tech on, and it makes sense because it’s an easy way to show support for the campus and present the “We Stand As One” mentality we have pressed for in the wake of the tragedy. I am curious as to how many retailers sold out of Hokie gear in the last week…even moreso how business turned for the campus bookstores and Blacksburg retailers.
Hokie gear is also a prominent hot commodity across the nation on your sports media outlets. After his no hitter last week, Mark Buehrle sported a VT cap during his news conference. NASCAR’s Denny Hamlin, a VT native, did the same at last weekend’s race.
Again, this is probably far from how these retailers wanted a boost in revenue, but I’m sure they’ll take it; if nothing else, for the solace of helping people find comfort after this tragedy and create a “Hokie Nation”

-Boy did Mike Vick alum himself into some good publicity last week.
The former Hokie quarterback made headlines by donating $10,000 to a relief fund for victims’ families, this after immediately releasing a statement the day of the shootings expressing sorrow and a willingness to help out in whatever way possible.
The Angel’s Advocate (is that a real term? Whatever—“they’re just words, they don’t control us”) says that Vick was truly acting out of goodwill to a campus that helped him become a No. 1 overall pick. In addition, he may have been trying to kickstart other players into doing the same, much like teammate Warrick Dunn did after Katrina.
The Devil’s Advocate (and there have been plenty of detractors in the last few days) claims that Vick is doing this as a way to blind some of the bad press he has received in the last few years and put a good light on himself. No one will talk about what was in that water bottle at the airport when Vick is giving money to aid in a tragedy.
Said one blogger and critic, “How nice of him to sacrifice what he probably spends in one night at the club. (http://llsports2.blogspot.com/2007/04/michael-vick-helps.html)”
My take: I believe Vick probably would have contributed to the campus in some way, but a good PR team also realized that they could make the most out of it and try to get the QB back in the good graces of the national spotlight.

-It’s become a cliché in this post-9/11 world about how “sports bring people together” and “finding solace in the games”, but it’s also true.
My favorite images (if that’s a PC term in the wake of the tragedy) from the fallout was not anything from memorials or vigils or people hugging.
It was the Virginia Tech men’s golf team holding its share of the ACC championship trophy last weekend.
It was the masses at Penn State’s spring football game wearing maroon and orange and forming a VT logo in the crowd
It was also the crowd at the baseball stadium last Friday night cheering on the Hokies against Miami, in what had to be an eerie environment but for one night brought back some excitement and energy to a campus that desperately needed it.
"I think that students need to get back to normal," said junior Chance Hellmann in a Boston Herald blog, who wandered near the diamond with a friend hours before the game. His friend Nicole White, 20, was killed in the shooting. "Anything that keeps your mind off this is a good thing," he said. (http://sports.bostonherald.com/college/view.bg)
This campus needs sports as a way to loosen the fears of the student body. Attending baseball or softball or tennis on campus is a great way to take the mind off what happened and try to regain a sense of normalcy.
As an entry on the Orlando Sentinel blog so eloquently put it, “Sports will never be perfect. There will always be stories that bring a negative light to sports. There will always be cheats and athletes that misbehave on and off the pitch. But this past week also showed that when the world is blackened by senseless actions, sports can provide a needed venue for healing, remembering and most importantly, reaching out to those in need. (http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_soccerblog/2007/04/sport_looks_to_.html)”