by Adam Moskal
On the twentieth anniversary of one of this Nation’s darkest days, September 11th, 2001, the Mets and Yankees came together in memoriam standing shoulder to shoulder not separated by team, race, gender or any other dividing factor that the people of this country seem to face daily. They were not there as professional baseball players but rather humans who realized the enormity and importance of a situation and treated it as such. It was a moving sight that sent chills down the spines of those lucky enough to watch it. The significance of this game was felt throughout the night as the lead changed hands multiple times with the yankees coming out on top.
This sentiment of coming together as one was not long lived. The very next night the benches cleared after an incident between Giancarlo Stanton and Fransico Lindor took place as Stanton rounded the bases after hitting a go ahead home run to give the yankees the lead late in the game. Less than 24 hours after one of the most admirable showings of unification seen on a sports field the exact opposite was put on display in the form of a conflict where both benches cleared.
The irony in this is glaring and it can even be seen as a microcosm for the current state of this country and the cycle that occurs when tragedy strikes. In the midst and recent aftermath of a tragic event people have no problem coming together and uniting as a nation with a singular goal. However, even as soon as the next day, as seen in the example of this Yankees Mets series, the division begins again. We can come together when we are healing and it’s easy to find common ground but when that wears off and we return to semi normal life we go right back to fighting each other and focusing on the division that exists.
