Covering sports teams and going to sporting events has been part of my everyday life and career for eight decades, and it's hard to believe the way the sporting world has been impacted this week by a virus that has basically shut down every major sporting event in the country and in Minnesota.
Everyone in the sports leagues and in the offices of the Gophers, Timberwolves, Vikings, Twins, Wild and every other sports operation in this state knows there may come times when they have to make tough decisions about whether to play.
Still, sports are important not only to fans and players and teams, but also to the huge economy that supports these events.
There have been times in my career when sports have taken a back seat to much larger concerns in the country, but they have also been a key part of holding Minnesota and the country together during difficult times.
The first column I ever wrote for the paper was on Sept. 11, 1945, about a week after the end of World War II.
And while there may not be a comparison in terms of the war and this health scare, the fact is that during the war years sports proved to be a key factor in keeping people together and bringing the country back.
My first bylined column in the paper started like this:
"Ticket Manager Marsh Ryman reports that the football ducat sale is the highest since the start of the war. Mail order for season tickets closed Saturday. The estimated sale is around 9,500. This is far from the 17,000 that were sold in 1937, but a lot better than any of the war years. Incidentally the University of Minnesota is protected even if it can't replace the Seahawk game. The season ticket book clearly states more than one game must be postponed before a refund is necessary.
"However, this doesn't mean the boys aren't trying to get a game. They want one and are doing their best to line one up."
