My Thoughts on "Tragic" and Arkansas Football

     Wow. I started thinking about this post earlier today and thought I had a pretty good grasp on what I was going to write, but now I don't even know where to begin. I guess as most stories go, I'll start at the beginning...
     Shortly after arriving at the hotel in Maumelle, just northwest of Little Rock, with my grandparents and little cousin, I checked my Twitter feed. I follow over 750 accounts, most of which are sports related. One tweet I came across was by ESPN SportsCenter anchor Robert Flores (@RoFloESPN).
     He said that "Penn State's kicking game is just tragic." I replied to the tweet, saying "Penn St scandal = tragic, Penn St kicking game = pathetic, not tragic." To my surprise, he responded and said "oh give me a break *blocked*" and proceeded to block me.
     Beside the fact that an ESPN personality couldn't handle an 18 year old's opinion and reacted like a 13 year old by blocking me, I thought I had a good point.
     "Tragic" is a word that is thrown around way too much in sports. The word itself comes from the word "tragedy," which means "an event causing great suffering, destruction, and distress, such as a serious accident, crime, or natural disaster."
     I don't care how many field goals a kicker misses, it is not tragic. What happened at Penn State to the little boys Jerry Sandusky sexually abused is tragic. I can not fathom what they have experienced in their lifetime.
     Likewise, Arkansas' loss to Louisiana-Monroe isn't tragic either. Sure it was very disappointing. Was I angry? Absolutely! I didn't want to talk to anyone after the game because I was so upset, but as I cooled off, I realized something I hope everyone considers this week before they call into sports talk radio shows and post on message boards asking for John L. Smith's head on a platter: it's just a game.
     At the end of the day, there are bigger issues than Arkansas Razorback football. A player for Tulane nearly died in their game against Tulsa and is probably paralyzed. In Arkansas' game, Tevin Mitchel was carted off the field after a head on collision with a teammate.
     As soon as I saw the play, I said "I hope our guy didn't just take out our guy." Then I saw that Mitchel wasn't moving. With the knowledge of what just happened to the Tulane player, I was very concerned and prayed that he was okay.
     Not much information has been released, but reports are saying he is fine. Whether that means he is paralyzed or not, I am not sure. For now I am happy he's alive and I pray that he isn't.
     I believe both the Tulane player's and Mitchel's situations fall under the "tragic" category. Arkansas falling out of national championship contention, however, does not.
     On a personal level, seeing my papa's memory not as sharp as it used to be and having to help my nana walk to the truck because her knees are bad, are both tragic. I hope it's not, but this could have been the last game I go to with them. I had thrown around the idea of going to the game with some friends, but now I'm glad I didn't so I could have this trip with my nana and papa. I have been going to different sporting events and games with them my entire life, and it kills me that there may not be many more in the future.
     So here's my plea to all media, fans, and people in general: think about the situation and what you're saying. Does this particular situation warrant being called "tragic"?