America’s Grandest Moment Reaches America’s Grandest Game, Fans Chant USA!

Sometime yesterday in Abbottabad, Pakistan, a bullet left the barrel of the gun of an unknown US Navy Seal and embedded in the head of the globe’s most evil, most hunted man, instantly killing him. The effect of that gunshot rippled through the world.

The ripples started to reach the US news, and then to fans in Philadelphia—where they were hosting the Mets—who started to receive text messages and confirm reports on their smart phones. The news ran like a wave through the stadium until, as though by decree, the fans begin to chant.

U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

Among all the images that will no doubt remain from this historic day, this one is perhaps the most apt.

After 9/11 one of the first causalities were our sporting events. Baseball games were canceled across the country. Football was not played that weekend. Fear and uncertainty regarding more attacks prevented that from happening. 

Slowly though, we as Americans resolved that this was not going to change our way of life. We went back to our sports and to our games. We crowned Super Bowl champions, World Series Champions, NHL Champions and NBA Champions. 

We fought our war on terror, toppling two dictators. We stopped terrorist attacks. 

We remembered our troops at our sporting events as God Bless America was sung at our baseball games and hockey games. 

It wasn’t that we forgot about Osama Bin Laden. It’s that we weren’t going to allow him to change our life. With every cheer for every catch made, shot sunk, goal scored or touchdown spiked, we told him, we are not afraid! We will not be terrorized!

At the same time we wanted him to know. We will not forget and we will not give up. Yes, it took 10 years to find him. Over those 10 years though our will did not wane, our resolve did not relent. Until, finally, last night, it was rewarded. 

Then last night as not mere baseball fans, but American baseball fans received the news, in a game ironically featuring a team from New York, we found the thing we had been seeking: Closure. 

Osama Bin Laden won’t be killing anyone else. We didn’t have revenge, we had justice. So we cheered. We cheered not for death, but for more noble things. 

Our cheers were for our troops, for our nation and most importantly for ourselves as we proved to the world that we are, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. 

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