Dear Sports,

We miss you.

We miss the thrill of victory and agony of defeat.
We miss the anticipation, pageantry, and drama of you.
We miss your moments of brilliance, precision, heartbreak, and glory.
We miss what you give to us as people.

In your absence we realize a piece of us is missing without you.
You transcend our individual differences and provide a common story.
You bring us together and create moments to be remembered for generations.
You guide us in how we should win - and lose.
You help us understand the benefits of hard work and perseverance.
You teach us teamwork.
You show us how to carry ourselves with grace, poise, and humility.
You teach us to dig deep and transcend physical and mental barriers.
You give us hope when it is needed.
Your venues, places, spaces, and fields sit empty, and we notice.

In our hearts and minds, we know you will return.
Your locker rooms will reverberate with the voices of hard work and inspiration.
Your fields and pitches will echo with the thunder of movement and activity.
Your courts will sing with the noise of squeaking soles, bouncing balls, hard hits, and passionate voices.
The sound of splashes and skates will echo across the waters – both liquid and solid.
Your training spaces will rumble with sounds of sacrifice and extreme effort.
Our community gathering places will once again resonate with celebration.

When society returns from this greatest of pauses, we cannot wait to be with you again.
Lights will turn on.
Doors and gates will open,
Athletes, coaches, staff, and officials will return.
And so, shall we - by the hundreds, thousands and even millions - embrace you with open hearts and arms.

Dear Sports,
This great pause as a human family has shown us many things.
The importance of hard work.
The need to sacrifice for the team.
The value of family and friendship.
The significance of respect and tolerance.
The value of our common story.
And through all of this, we are discovering that you have, in many ways, already prepared us for this challenge.

Dear Sports,
We will see you again in the very near future.
And when that day finally comes?

It will be Glorious.