The Nutmeg News prints opinion pieces from local contributors, at select times. Today's opinion piece comes from Sean Anderson of Youngstown, OH. The viewpoints and opinions of Mr. Anderson do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints and opinions of The Nutmeg News.

WEBSTERS defines courage as, mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.

And so we must ask ourselves whether those that decide to put the health and safety of their loved ones over the eternal war that is kicking a ball at speed for money can really define themselves as courageous at all.

When my grandfather, one of the greatest generation, faced down the hail of bullets as a member of the signal corps in Korea he did so understanding that his wife may never see him again.

Yet today, we see member after member from an entirely different kind of generation fail to pick up their duty and go into the line of battle, 11 v 11, mano a mano in order to maintain the health and safety of their loved ones. This is pure cowardice.

I DEMAND entertainment. I DEMAND the ability to not have to think about the world for 90 minutes. I DEMAND they ensure that the billionaires that run the sport do not lose 1% of their overall assets.

My brother-in-law didn’t do a tour in Kuwait in order for people like Carlos Vela and Nedum Onuoha to sit at home and protect their families.

My brother in law would’ve run out into the hail of balls being passed to him without wearing a mask while holding an American flag and a flamethrower daring the virus to take his lungs and give him deep vein thrombosis if he wasn’t spending most of his time trying to get the VA to approve his shoulder surgery to fix a long term injury that keeps him on disability and unable to do any manual labor which got him unceremoniously fired from his job 8 months after he returned.

Anyway, I am bored. And if the result of playing 2 months in Orlando is that a couple of 82 year old grandmothers and 23 year old soccer players have a chance of contracting COVID-19 then let’s PLAY BALL.

Thank you,

Sean Anderson

Youngstown, OH