Seems that sometimes, it takes a sportscaster to shame
an entire school system to do the right thing, and that’s what happened to the
Plano ISD, when Channel 8’s (WFAA) Sportscaster Dale Hansen took the airwaves
and did an editorial on why the PLANO ISD canceled a football game with El Paso
Eastwood, that was to be played on September 6th at Kimbrough
Stadium.
A day later, the Plano ISD rescinded that, and
scheduled the game on the 5th, and moved from Kimbrough to Ford
Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas.
So let me see if I get this right now, the original
game was to be played in a Plano ISD facility in Murphy, Texas, then canceled,
then rescheduled, and moved to a
facility that’s not even in the School District, they moved it to Frisco, moved
it to an indoor stadium, and moved it apparently because Frisco has better
security than Plano does!
This was a time to show unity, and show that one city
can host the other from a tragedy, but both have a common denominator, the shooter
that killed 22 people, and injured 24 others was from Plano, graduated from
Plano Senior High School, and drove the 10 hours west to El Paso, and shot up a
Walmart, and caused the anguish of a community, a city, a state and a country,
because the very next day in Dayton, Ohio another shooter kills 9 people and
injures 27, but police showed up 32 seconds after it started and took down the
gunman and killed him!
Texas is known for its Friday Night Lights, it’s a
tradition that Football in Texas is KING, and that we try and showcase the very
best when we can.
You think back to a dismal week in 2001, September 11th,
when aircraft were used as missiles, flown into the twin towers in New York,
into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and into a field in Western
Pennsylvania.
On that Friday night of that week, the 14th,
we stood in stadiums, proud of our country, singing our National Anthem with
our neighbors, and being united as one!
It was a tragedy, it was horrible, it was unthinkable,
however we survived it, and we showed up on Friday night, and we watched
football, because it was getting back to normal. WE as a nation needed to heal
and we needed to feel normal again, and believe it or not, it worked!
I remember that Friday in a small Texas town of
Diboll, Texas, and doing a game that involved the home team the Diboll
Lumberjacks, and to tell you the truth I have no idea who they played that
weekend most likely Carthage, but couldn’t tell you, but the nicest compliment
I got was from a writer with the Lufkin Daily News, who was driving back into
town from taking his daughter to Austin to be with her mom, and my friend wrote
in his article the following week, is that as soon as he was able get the radio
signal, he was tuned in to listen to our broadcast, and for that instant—he was
transformed back to normal. Though our world would never be normal again!
So why is it that something like a shooting, and
community coming together, and the other community that hurts, because they
felt like they were responsible for the Monster that was created, though they
truly had nothing to do with it, but they still, somehow feel like its their
responsibility.
So lets talk about how this game that is going to be
played now is at Ford Center at the Star in Frisco. Most likely a couple of
elements came into play.
First! Plano called Frisco ISD and made a request to
play the game at Ford Center… SECOND! Jerry Jones stepped up to the plate, and
made it available, but it had to be on a THURSDAY night, since Frisco ISD have games there on Friday
Night and Saturday night—not too mention, the Cowboys will be returning there
for their opener with the Giants, so they need a place to practice!
Mr. Jones already has donated $50,000.00 to El Paso,
and he has a firm place in the hearts of those in West Texas, and it shows
because the number of Cowboy Fans that are there, and he knows that with this
gesture, he has endeared himself to many more!
So TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING, is, make this game
happen, without incident, and give those athletes, their fans, their families,
a warm N. Texas Welcome and make sure that when they leave here—they will
remember that there are many, in the state of Texas, that believes in giving
back to the community and bringing the community together when they are hurting
the most!
Just a thought!
