speak with wisdom

 like a child, directly from the heart

crown yourself the king of clowns or stand way back apart

but never give your love my friend unto a foolish heart ( Garcia-Hunter)

i have been very critical of the wolrd of sports on these pages , but every now and then even i am reminded of the good there is in ALL of us. If you have never witnessed the WAVE at the University of Iowa football fanes....google it now.......it's heartbreaking and inspiring. .....and no it's not a silly fan wave that was started by the future antifa faggots in seattle.

In 2017 on the grounds of Iowa University and adjacent to the Hawkeyes Stadium a Childrens hospital was built and opened. The hospital towers over the stadium and the builders decided to make the 12th and Top Floor an open rec area where patients could gather with their families and other visitors and if there was an event in the football stadium below they would have a Birds eye view.......nice idea....it gets better.

A young Iowa football fan (Krista Young) thought it would be cool if the people in her section would turn their back from the field during a timeout and wave to the Young Hospital patients....they did....it caught on........she posted it on social media and the idea was embraced by the student body....and eventually the football team......it grew......then it was in decided to do this wave after the first quarter during the 2 or 3 minute TV break........opposing players started to ask what was happening and then they joined in too.....in 2 short years it became a tradition.....and i'll give credit to ABC last year to get a camera inside the Hospoital to show a split screen of the players and fans on one side and the Kids smiling from ear to ear on the other screen.......then they interviewed some parents........some of the kids were terminal with only weeks or days to live....most in wheelchairs, some still in hospital beds to weak to get up.........but all caught up in the moment.......i'd be a liar if i said i didn't shed a few tears.

And yesterday Iowa had the home opener of this horrible pandemic 2020 season....I was in a Bar in Redbank watching on TV.....when i realized what the announcers were saying......due to the China Flu , the Rec room was closed..i was crushed for the kids.....but thankfully the Hospital anticipated this and word got out that the wave would be virtual..........The Players and Fans held signs and waved up to the hospital and the children were given laptops to tune into the game and ABC/ESPN  put their faces up on the screen from the individual hospital rooms......the visiting Northeastern players held signs of encouragement and waved too.......both coaches and the fans that were in attendance.......for 3 minutes these kids forgot their troubles.....for 3 minutes they were the center and focus of their little worlds.

I think its knowing the power that athletes hold, knowing that they have the ability to bring people together to unite and cheer that makes it so painful when they fail us or embarrass us. They are placed on pedestals and looked up to as hero's...and all they have to do to maintain that status is to be a decent human being.......wave to kid...give an autograph and don't be a dick.....

anyway Kudos to Hawkeye Nation and all the visiting teams that embrace the Wave......exchanging 3 minutes of their time and providing a lifetime of memories for a family.