Be Kind

Buckle up. It's going to be a challenging summer for a lot of folks.

In my little bubble, summer sports practices have officially begun. The challenges there lie within the coaches, players, fans and others who will be attending baseball and softball games starting on June 15.

A lot has been put on the coaches' plate this time around. They will be asked to do more. A lot more. 

But everyone will have to play their part in making sure anyone who is involved is as safe as they can be.

It has already been a challenging few days for law enforcement around the country. Des Moines had a few interesting nights recently. Peaceful protests turned violent and unnecessary on both Friday and Saturday night.

I don't have an answer for that. But I hate seeing pictures of broken windows at the Polk County Courthouse and popular downtown restaurants/bars such as Spaghetti Works and Johnny's Hall of Fame.

I made a few trips to Johnny's Hall of Fame with a few other media friends after our basketball all-state meetings in early March. It's the place we go to catch up. And it stinks seeing the damage that was done to that place.

Rioting isn't the answer. But peaceful protests haven't been able to get the message across in previous years so things have escalated.

Television reporters are even struggling to do their jobs. I watched a few local channels on Saturday night to catch up on what was going on and a female reporter from WOI-TV needed three chances to do one live shot because she was part of a group that was tear gassed and then had a protestor screaming obscenities at her during the second segment.

We can be better as a society. Yes, there are a few bad apples in every profession, including law enforcement. But none of us should paint a picture with a broad brush.

We have to find a way to be better people. I was taught at an early age by my parents, teachers and coaches to treat everyone the way I wanted to be treated. It's the Golden Rule.

It sounds so simple. But it's a big part of the answer to all of this madness.

If we just treat others better a lot of this reactionary nonsense would go away.

I don't understand what it's like to be a person of color in this world. I won't pretend to understand what they go through on a daily basis. But I understand why they are upset.

Maybe this message of breaking things, attacking cops on the streets and spray painting buildings will get their point across. Maybe it won't.

I hope one day it doesn't have to come to this. Actor Will Smith caught my attention the other day with a post on social media. To paraphrase, he said racism didn't come back recently, it's just being recorded now.

Everyone has a camera these days. Maybe video taping something that isn't right is a better way to handle a bad situation.

I won't pretend to have all the answers. But I will continue to treat others how I want to be treated. We have to find a way be better to everyone. And it starts at the top.

Now back to summer sports. This season will go by fast. There is less than a full month's worth of games before the playoffs start. Some of our area teams are playing around 12 games. Some are playing as many as 18.

It will be a challenging summer for me as a sports journalist. I won't be able to roam free like I have in the past. I will do my part in following social distancing guidelines the best I can.

I plan to use the media boxes on the field more this summer. So if I'm blocking your view because I'm in the box, just know that it's not intentional. I try to stay out of the way of spectators when taking photos, but I don't think the setup this summer will give people like me too many options.

Try to be nice to us media folks. We are just doing our jobs. Be nice to the coaches because I guarantee you they will be more stressed than normal this summer. Be kind to the umpires, whose already tough job won't be easier when games start on June 15.

We'll all get through this tough time. Whether it be on the ball diamond or in real life. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. I can see it. And it's glorious. 

It's now our job to find a way to get there.