Phase Two arrived Friday evening, and Saturday I decided to go out for a drive checking out stuff while cranking some U2 and INXS because I just wanted to feel normal again.
We’ve been through hell.
All of us. Some more than others, obviously.
But we all share a measure of commonality - this period has been connective and awful for our nation. And please disregard political thought here, this isn’t one side versus the other, this is about us.
It’s about feeling normal again.
On that drive, I saw long, socially-distanced lines waiting to get into various stores that had finally opened for business, protocol enforced of course. I saw a dad putting his son’s mask on after getting out of their car, boarded up and closed stores, and some smiles, maybe even looks of relief on a few faces.
It’s Memorial Day weekend, Phase Two is here and we’re still deeply in the midst of the coronavirus' effects. It’s never ending, so it seems that way.
But you can see it all around, people wanting a moment many of us took for granted before the shutdown. Why wait in line for an hour ultra conscious of your distance from the person standing in front of you? Because once you get inside and flip through racks of clothes, shoes, home décor, gadgets or whatever, you've found that moment of normalcy.
And that’s why we need college football this fall. We need a lot of other stuff, too, but our focus here is college football and basketball so we’re staying in our lane.
By no means does this disregard the many grueling effects of the virus that continue and it’s not dismissing other more important sociological elements that must return to pre-pandemic times, but sports are a part of our equation.
College football is a celebration of who we are whether you like the sport or not. Tailgating, frenzied student bodies, fans filling stadiums, marching bands, dance teams, cheerleaders, mascots, fight songs; the pageantry celebrates who we are. And this fall it will carry a greater meaning.
To see the Tar Heels and Golden Knights run out of the tunnel in Orlando on September 4 will be a victory of sorts. It will show we’re returning to who we are, that we’ve navigated our way through this horrible virus, the many effects it has rendered, and we’re becoming us again.
No ignoring the potential effects of COVID-19 moving forward, in no way is this an attempt to sidestep those realities. However, this is a pledge, a wish, a hope, perhaps even a dream, that we as a nation move forward to where teams all over the country can run out of tunnels on Saturdays in college.
You see, if we do have college football with fans in the stands just like as long as any of us can remember, that means everything else is falling into place. Kids are in school, people are back at work, doctor appointments are in person, people can socialize, shake hands, hug a friend you haven’t seen in years, visit your elderly parents without worry, and you can just be normal.
North Carolina football and basketball aren’t the most important things on the planet, but if we have them this fall and winter it means we're back to normal or well on the way. And maybe those lines outside the stores will no longer exist, the arrows marking the floors of your favorite box stores will be long gone, shelves will be stocked with toilet paper all over America, meat and poultry purchase limits will be long gone, you can get your haircut when you need to get your haircut, and you can just be normal again.
Football has its place, and on September 4, if UNC and Central Florida tussle in Orlando before a full house, we’re well on our way back to normal.
