April 27, 2011 proved that sports plays an important role in reestablishing the fabric of a community following a tragedy.

I remember the day very well. A native to north Alabama, I was a sophomore at Bob Jones in Madison at the time of the storms.

Now, as I report about how far East Limestone baseball and softball have come since their fields were destroyed on April 27, 2011, I find myself coming full circle, as East’s current baseball coach – Adam Brown – was one of the people I spent much time with during the power outages that ensued from the storms.

What strikes me about what East Limestone baseball and softball had to endure is how they faced the problem head on, while other members of the Limestone baseball community – namely Athens High – took time out of their high school playoff preparations to help with something much more important.

This is also true of the Clements baseball and softball community, making sure to help their brothers and sisters in Tanner High School during their time of need as well.

What this proves is that sports is much more than just what is played between the white lines, on the gridiron or court. It has the power to bring like minds together in a united cause for something greater than themselves.

Take Tuscaloosa and The University of Alabama football team and their archrivals, The Auburn Tigers.

Auburn football was more than willing to put bad blood aside and help out their cross-state rivals, something that I believe does not receive enough credit still to this day.

When the Iron Bowl is put aside to come together to help those who truly need it, that is really something special.

Then, the Crimson Tide would go on to win the national title that season over LSU in a beat down of a rematch from earlier that season.

You don’t think that was therapeutic to a lot of people going through tough times?

I promise you it was.

Trent Richardson, A.J. McCarron and Kevin Norwood did quite a lot for the good people of Tuscaloosa and Alabama football fans statewide and region-wide.

Then, add in the fact that many players on the team had gone through personal trauma related to the flurry of tornadoes on April 27, 2011.

Players lost loved ones and, less importantly, cherished belongings.

Winning the championship that year was a feat that gave many players on the team something to cheer about for the first time in a long time, another example of the therapeutic remedy that a sports team can provide a community.

11 years later, East Limestone has rebuilt fields for their loyal fans to root them on.

Softball is the same deal. The dugouts are complete, the lights work and the players put on a show every time they run onto the diamond.

It highlights a long journey into moving on from April 27, 2011, but never forgetting.

Look at other tragedies and the possible closure and peace of mind they provide family, friends and fans.

The death of Kobe Bryant was something that will never be forgotten in the sports world. One of the great athletes of all time was taken too soon alongside multiple others, including his own daughter – Gianna.

Kobe was a proud girl dad and spent a large majority of his time since retiring from the NBA being an ambassador for the sport and a true definition of self-betterment day-in and day-out.

His death impacted the lives of countless individuals.

This was piggybacked off the COVID pandemic reaching America almost two months later to the date of Kobe’s passing.

People were struggling, confused and fearful.

You don’t think the L.A. Lakers winning the title during the conclusion of that season in the bubble helped heal the souls of thousands to millions of people?

I sure do.

Basketball was the only live-event every day during the worst of the pandemic. It gave people an escape during a time unprecedented in human history.

Compound this with the Lakers winning the first title since Kobe’s passing, and it was a poetic way to remember one of the greatest to ever do it.

The actions of Athens to help out East Limestone is much like Auburn helping out Alabama (not because of the rivalry, but because of the comparative cross-town, cross-state aspect of it).

The actions of Clements to help out Tanner provided a remedy and a piece of something good in life that was needed in many Limestone residents’ lives, much like the city of L.A. needed something good to happen in the middle of a pandemic after watching one of their heroes pass away far too early.

Just always remember that “it’s just a game” does not always apply. Sometimes, it is just the opposite, and it means much more than a game or a score.