Attacking an Amateur Sports Event

Like all of you, I reacted to the bombings at the Boston Marathon with horror, shock and then outrage. Terrorism never is the answer to a grievance.
Amateur sports – and that is what the Boston Marathon is, despite the few professionals running at the head of the race – is far removed from politics, making it even less legitimate of a target.
Amateur sports is where people of different nationalities, class, background, religion and political opinion are united in the quest for a shared goal of athletic excellence – each within their own means. As our society becomes more polarized, amateur sports is one of the hopes that remain for a better understanding of each other.
That was the original goal of the Olympic Games – where the Olympic Truce allowed participants to travel to the event in safety – and that is what continues to make all amateur sports so beautiful. Breaking the Olympic Truce makes yesterday’s crime doubly heinous.