Others steeled themselves against the grief and went on with their lives. The show must go on, they reasoned, and there was no better way to honor the victims than to maintain business as usual.
Every person deals with tragedy in a different way, so when sporting events were cancelled the week following 9/11, some cheered it as the right move while others called it a mistake. By the time most of the leagues resumed play Sept. 23, not everyone was ready to go back to playing what they saw as silly games.
The 10th anniversary of the attacks is Sunday, with a full schedule of MLB and NFL games. Former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner, who led the St. Louis Rams to Super Bowl XXXVI later that season, appeared on FoxNews on Tuesday and was asked if it's appropriate for teams to play on 9/11.
"I do," Warner said. "I remember that Tuesday and I remember having the meeting at our facility about whether we should play that next Sunday or how long we should take off. I definitely felt at the time we needed to avoid football and we needed to focus on what was at hand and the lives that were affected by the tragedy.
"But I also believe that football and getting back into those stadiums was a big part of the healing process."
Watch the full video here.
When teams take the field on Sunday, there will be flags waving, jets flying overhead and the Star-Spangled Banner will seem to mean a little bit more. After a week of solemn remembrance, some will welcome the chance to let off some steam with a cheer or a boo. Some would rather not bother with anything besides their thoughts.
