No Shining Moment

When people say they got to witness history, the first thought that enters your mind is that this person was able to see and experience something amazing, awe inspiring, astonishing and life changing in a positive way.  A story they can tell their kids, grandkids, friends, neighbors and maybe even someone they never met before that happens to be sitting next to them at a sporting event. However in this current year, the year of 2020, the history we are witnessing is not something we would use any of those aforementioned words to describe. 

Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo dons his mask as times have been difficult for everyone. It’ll take time to get used to but it’ll get done. Photo Michigan St YouTube

The year 2020 will go down as the year the world stopped.  And as small as it seems in the grand scheme of things, the sports world stopped. Major League Baseball stopped spring training. The NBA and NHL halted with one month left before their respective playoffs were to begin. College sports was also affected by this catastrophic decision as all student athletes’ seasons were called off and students fled to the safety of their parents’ homes. This meant there would be no champions crowned for the spring scheduled sports. 

The year 2020 will go down as the year the world stopped.

So for the first time that I could remember there would be no NCAA Men’s or Women’s Basketball tournaments. It took days for it to sink in and become real that there would be no March Madness, no buzzer beaters, no breakout performances by young men and women on the bubble of the NBA and WNBA Drafts and no fans exploding at every clutch three pointer and thunderous dunk. All of this may seem overblown and it may very well be, but sometimes trivial things make the world turn, keeps life moving, gets your heart beating and your adrenaline going. An escape from your normal life that is needed sometimes.

Arizona Wildcat Head Coach Sean Miller says team is adjusting to Covid-19 protocols. It’s not easy to get used to. Photo by Mike Christy/Arizona Athletics

I stop and think to myself would this have been the year for Gonzaga? How far would Toppin have taken Dayton? Would Boston University or North Dakota State have scored the major upset, what team would have busted my bracket? My mind escapes into deep thoughts about the women’s tournament and if Sabrina Ionescu and Satou Sabally would have led Oregon to the top, maybe UConn or Baylor would have stopped them. How deep into the Women’s tourney would Standford, Louisville or Notre Dame have gone? All of these things which are a major parts of this beloved and cherished tournament. These are questions that will never be answered and can’t ever be fully debated, but one thing it will always remind us of is the one year we didn’t get to see the nets get cut down, tears from the players on the losing team and hearing One Shining Moment play as the credits rolled over our screens.