Dear Reader,
Typically around this time of summer, my optimism has been pretty well doused by the Detroit Tigers’ place in the AL Central standings. This summer, I’m just happy that they’re in uniform and getting ready to play again.
Perspective is a powerful thing, as Evan Woodbery pointed out on my Behind the Headlines podcast this week.
“The last couple of weeks, I’ve been working harder than I’ve worked in a long time,” said Woodbery, the Tigers beat writer for MLive. “But it’s been such a good feeling, to get back into the routine and feel like I’m doing something worthwhile, after just months of uncertainty.
“The little things you take for granted before, I don’t think I’m going to take for granted again.”
It’s been a crazy world, to say the least, for the past 4 months, and I know – sports is just sports, right?
But in this case, I think the resumption of sports – as tentative as it all looks – is important and really merits watching for well beyond what happens on the field.
Sports can get overhyped in a 24/7 cycle, especially when focused on professionals. But they are truly a reflection of our national identity and character, expressing our interests and passions in the same way as arts, literature and movies.
They’re also a big business – for every pro or college player who takes a field in Detroit and across Michigan, there are hundreds of jobs and billions of dollars flowing through the economy.
And something that you or someone you know probably experienced this spring, as I did through my daughter and her high school tennis teammates: Sports are valued extracurricular parts of an educational experience for kids, and serve as a rallying point for a community.
The disruptions from the coronavirus eventually will pass, I know. However, I find myself growing impatient about when that will happen, and anxious that the early “re-openings” will snap shut again. Fall sports are beckoning, and I’d love for kids to get to experience that in the same way I’d love to see a concert again.
And that’s why the opener for the Tigers’ 60-game season this year, on Friday, July 24, in Cincinnati, seems to carry a lot more meaning than whether they’ll win a World Series (spoiler alert: They won’t).
“The return of sports can have a positive effect on what has been kind of a traumatic several months in the country and the world,” Woodbery said.
“To have some sense of normalcy, some sense of a Michigan summer, would be really nice. That’s why I really hope they can pull this off, and I hope we make it to the finish line.”
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🎧 In this week's episode of my Behind the Headlines podcast, I sit down with Evan Woodbery - the Detroit Tigers beat writer for MLive - to get the inside scoop about what baseball is like during a pandemic and what fans can expect next week. To listen just click this link.
If you like the insights you hear from Evan Woodbery on my podcast, you’ll love getting his inside take on the Tigers all year long, directly to your phone. Sign up for a free, 14-day trial to MLive’s Tigers Confidential, and you will get updates via text. To begin the trial, text 313-332-7905 and follow the simple prompts to subscribe. After the trial, you’ll be billed $4.99 a month, and you can cancel at any time.