What Matters...

Sometimes, things just hit you.

Tonight was supposed to be a celebration. My mom was in town visiting, and I've been spending a lot of time with her. We decided to go into Edmonton, Canada...Which is the city we live close to. My eldest son lives there and we were all going to meet up, and watch Monday Night Football.

It was extra special for me because of 3 reasons. Obviously, being able to spend time with my mom and my son. But also the team playing tonight were the Buffalo Bills. If you know me, you'll know how much this sports franchise means to me. And finally, it was the end of my fantasy football season where I had an 87% chance of winning my championship.

A perfect night was being set up!

And then around the 6 minute mark of the first quarter, everything changed for me. And I'm not sure I can really put into words exactly how this impacted me.

On a hard but routine tackle, the Bills safety Damar Hamlin got up after making a play and then immediately collapsed.

At first, everyone watching the game wasn't sure exactly what happened, but the replays showed him literally...Drop.

Having guys get injuries in American football isn't new. It happens every week. But this was different.

As the camera started to pan around, it showed his teams mates...Crying.

I thought to myself, this REALLY isn't normal because usually a guy gets hurt, everyone takes a knee and pats him on the shoulder pads as he's carted off. But Damar was actually being given CPR because from very early reports, he literally stopped breathing on the field.

In my decades of watching NFL football, I have never seen anything like this.

Eventually the game was cancelled and everyone in the restaurant we were watching the game at, was glued to the TV. Hoping, praying, begging for a sign or report that Damar would be o.k.

Current status, at 1:37am eastern time on January 3rd is that he is in critical condition and there hasn't been an update since.

How can a football player's injury, a life threatening one, impact me this much? Sure, I love the Buffalo Bills and have since I can remember....But this is just a game right?

I'm just rattled to the core. I feel for Damar, his family, his teammates and all the NFL players that put their lives on the line, each and every week..For our entertainment. This isn't right.

And don't get me started on the politics of the 'salaries' these young men fight for. Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL and that's beyond insane to me. But that's not the point of this post.

Here's what is for me, as a fan and as a human being.

I'm praying for Damar and his family. I'm not one to 'share links' on Hive, but I think this warrants a good share...

NFL players usually set up charities or foundations when they get a contract, to help a cause that they believe in. Damar set up a 'GoFundMe' campaign to buy toys for kids that were hurt most during the pandemic. His initial goal for the fundraiser was $2,500.