Every once in a while, sports find a way to pick us up in dark moments.
Just ask William Clark, an engineering professor at Ohio State.
Clark was one of 11 people injured in a horrifying attack on the university’s campus Monday, in which an OSU student drove his car into a crowd and began attacking people with a knife when he got out of the car.
Clark was interviewed after the scary incident, which ended with the attacker being shot and killed by police. But rather than dwell on the negatives, the professor focused on a great silver lining.
“University campuses are vulnerable to that kind of thing because we are an open society where young people can grow up and learn and make a certain amount of mistakes,” Clark said, via Time.com.
“We’re still a great university. We still beat Michigan.”
Clark is referring, of course, to the 113rd installment of “The Game,” in which Ohio State’s football team beat Michigan in a double-overtime thriller Saturday at Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes’ win almost guarantees them a spot in the College Football Playoff, but perhaps more importantly, it gives them bragging rights over the Wolverines for the fifth consecutive year.
College football games obviously take a back seat to real life, and Monday’s attack was a sobering reminder of that. But Ohio State-Michigan is a big deal to a lot of people, and it’s nice to know some can use the rivalry as a source of pride in rough times.
H/t to For the Win
Thumbnail photo via Joe Maiorana/USA TODAY Sports Images
