Every year on the third monday of April, residents of Massachusetts celebrate Patriots Day. That special day when the weather always seems to be perfect, the Red Sox have a nice 11:00 a.m. start and the Boston Marathon takes over Massachusetts and the nation with everyone’s eyes glued to the finish line.

This year, though, everyone’s eyes were glued to the finish line for all the wrong reasons.

Disclaimer: Yes, I know this blog is called Warrior Weekly and is supposed to talk about the past week in WHS sports. But the tragedy at the Boston Marathon and the tragedies of the days following were far too important for me not to talk about, especially because they have a direct tie to sports.

By now everyone knows the details of what happened last Monday, so I won’t get into them. Instead, I’ll talk about the way the sports world reacted to the events and how it responded to the Boston community.

The impact the Bruins had on the city was significant. The Bruins played the first game in the city since the incident of Wednesday night. During the national anthem the entire crowd came together in song. It was truly an awesome sight to watch from my couch. The city united in a time of sadness and tragedy to demonstrate who they are as Bostonians.

This reminds me of the way New York rallied around the Yankees after September 11th. The Yankees went all the way to Game 7 of the World Series before losing to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Yankees pulled NYC out of their depression and gave them something to believe in again.

But it’s not just the way Boston has rallied around its sports teams — it is the way the nation has rallied around Boston’s teams. Yankee Stadium played “Sweet Caroline” during one of their games and even posted a Red Sox logo next to a Yankee logo that said “United We Stand.” After the Red Sox won in Cleveland Tuesday night, Progressive Field blasted “Dirty Water” over the PA system.

The support from around the country has been huge. Sports are a common comfort after a tragedy. Sports bring people together. Walking into Fenway Park and smelling the freshly cut grass, hot dogs and beer immediately brings a smile to your face. All sadness fades away and you’re transported into another world for a few hours.

Boston will recover from the events of this past week, keeping in mind that some people will live with this tragedy for their entire life. Many people suffered lifelong injuries including amputations. Sports helped to honor these people in the best way that they can. Red Sox outfielder Jonny Gomes got the names of the four people that died in the tragedy engraved on his bat for Sunday’s game. Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Keith Yandle wore a warm up jersey with the name Martin Richard on the back.
Hopefully we will be able to honor the four people that lost their lives for a long, long time. Rest in Peace Martin Richard, Krystle Campbell, Lu Lingzi, and Sean Collier.

“When the Sox, the Celtics, the Patriots, the Bruins are champions again… the crowds will gather and watch a parade go down Boylston Street. And this time next year, on the third Monday in April, the world will return to this great American city to run harder than ever and to cheer even louder for the 118th Boston marathon. Bet on it!’’
-Barack Obama