Unity is Possible

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It may take a while before I can fully appreciate the fact that the New York Knicks, my Knicks, are NBA Champions. I am even hesitant to write this reflection as more time is necessary to process what we witnessed over the past month, especially this past week and weekend.

When the Knicks completed history Saturday night, and the final buzzer ended a life-time of sports disappointment, I lifted my 9-year-old Shea (who I woke up with 5-minutes left) and jumped up and down with childlike joy. I, like so many fans, never thought we would see the day that our team would win it all.

There is so much to say about this Knicks team, but what I would like to briefly reflect on are the fans. As someone who writes about, and prays for, unity, sports once again flexes its muscles in its power to bring people together. Like the World Cup, which is occurring in North America, we find the best of ourselves as we wrap our arms around a game.

On Saturday night, we saw busy streets flooded with fans throughout the Big Apple. Ignoring a few bad apples, most fans came together to celebrate. This Thursday, it is expected that 4 million New Yorkers will gather for a parade in lower Manhattan. From diverse backgrounds in all its forms, this city of over 700 languages cheers in perfect harmony.

This reminds us that unity is possible. While we are overwhelmed by division everywhere we turn, where dialogue often seems impossible, and empathy is hard to come by, New York City is showing us that yes, we can come together.

Sports is trivial in the grand scheme of things, but let’s not lose sight of the gift it is providing. Let’s allow sports to be a starting point for a better tomorrow.