First of all, I commend every professional and collegiate sports league and organization that canceled or postponed athletic competitions last week in light of the horrific tragedy that struck last Tuesday. Although the NFL and major college football may have took a little longer to make their decision than some people would have liked, in the end, they got it right.

Here on campus, the tragedy of September 11 affected students, faculty, and staff in varying degrees. After 11:15 am, all classes were canceled. As for UMB sporting events, Athletic Director Charles Titus said that the decision to cancel the University’s games for the 11 was reached by a Little East conference call later that day, “out of respect for the victims.” And what about for games beyond the 11th? “We got to a shared position,” replied Titus “that we would not succumb to terrorism, and that we would get back to our lives…and participate as Americans.” As for possibly making up the games, Titus said the Little East would do what it could to reschedule.

When asked about the cancellations for professional sports and major college football, Titus did not hesitate in his reply. “They absolutely did the right thing. I would be leery to put that many people in a sports venue. There is a strong possibility that this [type of tragedy] may happen again.”

Now, everyone did not agree with the decisions. There were arguments (some believe legitimate arguments) by those in favor that the “games” should go on, whether it was to give people a needed diversion from the non-stop media coverage or because an alteration of our daily lives plays right into the hands of those who committed these heinous acts. Please. We needed some time to mourn. Many people still need a significant amount of time to mourn. It was the right thing to do.