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What Sports related tragedies affected you the most?

iubud

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Aug 7, 2003
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I was thinking last night about the tragedies involved with team and individual sports away from the sport itself. As a fan of Indycar, I have witnessed horrific crashes and watched wrecks live on TV that took a life. I know that sick feeling of something going really wrong. I am thinking more about tragedies that took place away from the sport, but feel free to list any sporting tragedy. My top 5:

1. UE Plane crash - I was 13 and watching TV when the news came across the Evansville station I was watching. There was a coal strike and people were conserving power both inside and outside of their homes. It was also a cold and rainy evening. The news, the darkness, and the weather were a combination I will never forget. I have received a kick in the gut from other shocking news since, but this really affected me.

2. Cousin's plane crash - I had a second cousin a year older than me that was an all state basketball player from my parents' hometown in Illinois. I had met him at family reunions and he was the only other boy my age that always showed up. He had graduated high school and was going to play college basketball at a small school in Missouri. He had helped organize an FCA basketball camp for young kids at the local college. He made plans to fly with a family friend to a small airport in Tennessee to pick up Doug Collins. Collins had agreed to come lead the clinic. He had either just ended or was about to end his playing career and thinking about coaching. The small plane my cousin was in crashed near the airport Doug Collins was waiting at. I've always wanted to know what Doug Collins knew about the 18 year old that died in the plane.

3. Kobe and Gigi - This places third, but could easily turn out to be higher. I keep thinking about traveling with my daughter to AAU tournaments and dance competitions beginning at 6 years old. We traveled as a family. Any similar tragedy in our family would have involved all of us. At every level, I know the pride Kobe felt watching his daughter play the game he loved. I know Kobe was thinking about watching Gigi running down the court and happy they shared the feeling of competition. It hurts he died too young and that she died before she could live out her dreams. They were together and doing something they loved. It is difficult to accept when something positive like that turns tragic.

4. Dale Earnhardt - You didn't have to be a NASCAR fan to understand the impact of his death. I was still following the sport to some degree and watched the big races. It looked like a typical crash and not as severe as most that happen at 200 mph. Seeing the concern on the drivers that ran over to his car indicated something was wrong. Here again, he was racing with his son and trying to help him win. This accident changed the sport. Cars got safer and has probably saved lives. I grew less interested in that form of racing after Earnhardt's death to a point that I only watch 2 races. The first and the last.

5. Olympic Terrorism - I was very young, but I remember that I enjoyed watching the '72 Olympics. It was the first Olympics I was old enough to remember. With only 3 channels on our TV, I watched the coverage and learned about events I had never seen before. Instead of events being shown, they began showing a building with people in black hoods and weapons. This wasn't make believe or a movie. It was really happening.
 
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I was thinking last night about the tragedies involved with team and individual sports away from the sport itself. As a fan of Indycar, I have witnessed horrific crashes and watched wrecks live on TV that tool a life. I know that sick feeling of something going really wrong. I am thinking more about tragedies that tool place away from the sport, but feel free to list any sporting tragedy. My top 5:

1. UE Plane crash - I was 13 and watching TV when the news came across the Evansville station I was watching. There was a coal strike and people were conserving power both inside and outside of their homes. It was also a cold and rainy evening. The news, the darkness, and the weather were a combination I will never forget. I have received a kick in the gut from other shocking news since, but this really affected me.

2. Cousin's plane crash - I had a second cousin a year older than me that was an all state basketball player from my parents' hometown in Illinois. I had met him at family reunions and he was the only other boy my age that always showed up. He had graduated high school and was going to play college basketball at a small school in Missouri. He had helped organize an FCA basketball camp for young kids at the local college. He made plans to fly with a family friend to a small airport in Tennessee to pick up Doug Collins. Collins had agreed to come lead the clinic. He had either just ended or was about to end his playing career and thinking about coaching. The small plane my cousin was in crashed near the airport Doug Collins was waiting at. I've always wanted to know what Doug Collins knew about the 18 year old that died in the plane.

3. Kobe and Gigi - This places third, but could easily turn out to be higher. I keep thinking about traveling with my daughter to AAU tournaments and dance competitions beginning at 6 years old. We traveled as a family. Any similar tragedy in our family would have involved all of us. At every level, I know the pride Kobe felt watching his daughter play the game he loved. I know Kobe was thinking about watching Gigi running down the court and happy they shared the feeling of competition. It hurts he died too young and that she died before she could live out her dreams. They were together and doing something they loved. It is difficult to accept when something positive like that turns tragic.

4. Dale Earnhardt - You didn't have to be a NASCAR fan to understand the impact of his death. I was still following the sport to some degree and watched the big races. It looked like a typical crash and not as severe as most that happen at 200 mph. Seeing the concern on the drivers that ran over to his car indicated something was wrong. Here again, he was racing with his son and trying to help him win. This accident changed the sport. Cars got safer and has probably saved lives. I grew less interested in that form of racing after Earnhardt's death to a point that I only watch 2 races. The first and the last.

5. Olympic Terrorism - I was very young, but I remember that I enjoyed watching the '72 Olympics. It was the first Olympics I was old enough to remember. With only 3 channels on our TV, I watched the coverage and learned about events I had never seen before. Instead of events being shown, they began showing a building with people in black hoods and weapons. This wasn't make believe or a movie. It was really happening.

Len Bias for me. I thought he was the best college player in the land and was excited to see him go to Boston and team with Larry. I was in college at the time, and while I didn't use it regularly, there was some coke use in my circle of friends and I'd tried it a few times. I don't think I ever did it again after that. From all accounts, he didn't do it regularly either and was just celebrating a little too much. At any rate, I figured if it could fell a spectacular athlete like that, I didn't need to be messing with it.
 
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Len Bias for me. I thought he was the best college player in the land at the time and was excited to see him go to Boston and team with Larry. I was in college at the time, and while I didn't use it regularly, there was some coke use in my circle of friends and I'd tried it a few times. I don't think I ever did it again after that. From all accounts, he didn't do it regularly either and was just celebrating a little too much. At any rate, I figured if it could fell a spectacular athlete like that, I didn't need to be messing with it.
I had forgotten about Bias. I felt more sorrow for Hank Gathers where he fell on the court in front of his teammates and fans and never had a chance to recover. I also remember a baseball player like Darryl Kile that died in his hotel room. It was more upsetting to me as a Cardinal fan, but not something that most remembered beyond the news cycle.
 
doesn't count....keep thinking
Then I got nuthin'. He's the only sports figure I've felt I had a close "connection" with that's had tragedy befall him. All the others are tragic, yes, but but haven't personally effected me any more than any other tragic event that might have happened to someone "famous". Odd as it may sound, the one that's bothered me most in the recent past was losing Gwen Ifill. I watched her nearly every day for a number of years.
 
I was thinking last night about the tragedies involved with team and individual sports away from the sport itself. As a fan of Indycar, I have witnessed horrific crashes and watched wrecks live on TV that took a life. I know that sick feeling of something going really wrong. I am thinking more about tragedies that took place away from the sport, but feel free to list any sporting tragedy. My top 5:

1. UE Plane crash - I was 13 and watching TV when the news came across the Evansville station I was watching. There was a coal strike and people were conserving power both inside and outside of their homes. It was also a cold and rainy evening. The news, the darkness, and the weather were a combination I will never forget. I have received a kick in the gut from other shocking news since, but this really affected me.

2. Cousin's plane crash - I had a second cousin a year older than me that was an all state basketball player from my parents' hometown in Illinois. I had met him at family reunions and he was the only other boy my age that always showed up. He had graduated high school and was going to play college basketball at a small school in Missouri. He had helped organize an FCA basketball camp for young kids at the local college. He made plans to fly with a family friend to a small airport in Tennessee to pick up Doug Collins. Collins had agreed to come lead the clinic. He had either just ended or was about to end his playing career and thinking about coaching. The small plane my cousin was in crashed near the airport Doug Collins was waiting at. I've always wanted to know what Doug Collins knew about the 18 year old that died in the plane.

3. Kobe and Gigi - This places third, but could easily turn out to be higher. I keep thinking about traveling with my daughter to AAU tournaments and dance competitions beginning at 6 years old. We traveled as a family. Any similar tragedy in our family would have involved all of us. At every level, I know the pride Kobe felt watching his daughter play the game he loved. I know Kobe was thinking about watching Gigi running down the court and happy they shared the feeling of competition. It hurts he died too young and that she died before she could live out her dreams. They were together and doing something they loved. It is difficult to accept when something positive like that turns tragic.

4. Dale Earnhardt - You didn't have to be a NASCAR fan to understand the impact of his death. I was still following the sport to some degree and watched the big races. It looked like a typical crash and not as severe as most that happen at 200 mph. Seeing the concern on the drivers that ran over to his car indicated something was wrong. Here again, he was racing with his son and trying to help him win. This accident changed the sport. Cars got safer and has probably saved lives. I grew less interested in that form of racing after Earnhardt's death to a point that I only watch 2 races. The first and the last.

5. Olympic Terrorism - I was very young, but I remember that I enjoyed watching the '72 Olympics. It was the first Olympics I was old enough to remember. With only 3 channels on our TV, I watched the coverage and learned about events I had never seen before. Instead of events being shown, they began showing a building with people in black hoods and weapons. This wasn't make believe or a movie. It was really happening.
Another one, along with the ones you mention, was Payne Stewart's plane crash. The idea of that plane flying along for hours with everyone on board dead was very eerie to me. We were just waiting for the plane to run out of fuel and fall to the ground.
 
Another one, along with the ones you mention, was Payne Stewart's plane crash. The idea of that plane flying along for hours with everyone on board dead was very eerie to me. We were just waiting for the plane to run out of fuel and fall to the ground.

I'd forgotten about that. What was the situation that caused the plane to be flying with no one alive on board to respond? That was bizarre.
 
I'd forgotten about that. What was the situation that caused the plane to be flying with no one alive on board to respond? That was bizarre.
The plane lost all cabin pressure, basically suffocating the passengers on board.
 
I wasn't a fan of his until he came back after sitting a year. I liked him as broadcaster and was happy when he won his last 500. It is sad that the new and safer chassis he helped develop could have saved his life.
Here is one that really hit me personally. I grew up in a small town where everyone knew each other, and most of us attended school with the same people through graduation. Due to small numbers it was not unusual for us to mix with kids two or three years older athletically as we grew up.
I was on the varsity baseball team as a freshman. During a game, our left fielder and center fielder were involved in a collision. This wasn't a big bang bang collision and didn't look serious from the dugout. The Center Fielder went over the body of the Left Fielder (they were both low to the ground going for the ball) Our left fielder never got up and an ambulance was brought in to carry him off. He was sent to the local hospital, and then transported to a larger hospital in Milwaukee due to the seriousness of the brain injury, where he died a day and a half later.

I will never forget how I found out he died. I was taking a Summer School Course. My Mother worked as a Secretary in the School Office. I saw the front door of the class room open, and my Mother approached the Teacher and whispered something to him. She then motioned me to see her out in the hallway. I immediately knew what she would tell me. She told me Sid had died, she wanted me to hear it from her. I went home and cried for a good while.

I remember about two hours later I went to the small store in town that was run by a local family to get something. The Daughter who was working the checkout was a year a head of me. It was obvious that she had heard the news and was trying to hold everything back. I wanted so much to ask her to get someone to cover for her and go out in the alley with me and have a good cry.

Sid was not only a teammate, but he attended my Church and had also been my Debate Partner. We spent a number of Hours with others behind his House in the alley shooting baskets at the hoop on their garage. The Center Fielder was also a good friend. He just couldn't bring himself to go back on a baseball field and put the incident behind him. Ironically, I became the Center Fielder and played there for the rest of my career.
 
Here is one that really hit me personally. I grew up in a small town where everyone knew each other, and most of us attended school with the same people through graduation. Due to small numbers it was not unusual for us to mix with kids two or three years older athletically as we grew up.
I was on the varsity baseball team as a freshman. During a game, our left fielder and center fielder were involved in a collision. This wasn't a big bang bang collision and didn't look serious from the dugout. The Center Fielder went over the body of the Left Fielder (they were both low to the ground going for the ball) Our left fielder never got up and an ambulance was brought in to carry him off. He was sent to the local hospital, and then transported to a larger hospital in Milwaukee due to the seriousness of the brain injury, where he died a day and a half later.

I will never forget how I found out he died. I was taking a Summer School Course. My Mother worked as a Secretary in the School Office. I saw the front door of the class room open, and my Mother approached the Teacher and whispered something to him. She then motioned me to see her out in the hallway. I immediately knew what she would tell me. She told me Sid had died, she wanted me to hear it from her. I went home and cried for a good while.

I remember about two hours later I went to the small store in town that was run by a local family to get something. The Daughter who was working the checkout was a year a head of me. It was obvious that she had heard the news and was trying to hold everything back. I wanted so much to ask her to get someone to cover for her and go out in the alley with me and have a good cry.

Sid was not only a teammate, but he attended my Church and had also been my Debate Partner. We spent a number of Hours with others behind his House in the alley shooting baskets at the hoop on their garage. The Center Fielder was also a good friend. He just couldn't bring himself to go back on a baseball field and put the incident behind him. Ironically, I became the Center Fielder and played there for the rest of my career.

I thought this was going to be an epic AOTF story, right up to where you said you were going out in the alley with her to have a... g cry!

That's a brutal story at that age. Nothing more innocent that high school sports. Can't blame the center fielder at all.

I used to take my son on a camping trip in the spring up to the mountains. We'd gone up to a well known mountain top that's popular one morning and hiked around a bit. Later that day, after we were back at our campsite a big storm passed through and that was followed by a bunch of sirens. I thought there'd been a bad accident on the highway, but the next morning I'd read a couple was up on the same mountaintop a few hours after us when the storm came through, and they were hit by lightning and it killed the girl. The guy had an engagement ring with him and was planning to propose. He put the ring on her finger as paramedics were working on her. Creepy.

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/Media/fiancee-killed-lightning-wedding-proposal/story?id=10860008
 
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I was thinking last night about the tragedies involved with team and individual sports away from the sport itself. As a fan of Indycar, I have witnessed horrific crashes and watched wrecks live on TV that took a life. I know that sick feeling of something going really wrong. I am thinking more about tragedies that took place away from the sport, but feel free to list any sporting tragedy. My top 5:

1. UE Plane crash - I was 13 and watching TV when the news came across the Evansville station I was watching. There was a coal strike and people were conserving power both inside and outside of their homes. It was also a cold and rainy evening. The news, the darkness, and the weather were a combination I will never forget. I have received a kick in the gut from other shocking news since, but this really affected me.

2. Cousin's plane crash - I had a second cousin a year older than me that was an all state basketball player from my parents' hometown in Illinois. I had met him at family reunions and he was the only other boy my age that always showed up. He had graduated high school and was going to play college basketball at a small school in Missouri. He had helped organize an FCA basketball camp for young kids at the local college. He made plans to fly with a family friend to a small airport in Tennessee to pick up Doug Collins. Collins had agreed to come lead the clinic. He had either just ended or was about to end his playing career and thinking about coaching. The small plane my cousin was in crashed near the airport Doug Collins was waiting at. I've always wanted to know what Doug Collins knew about the 18 year old that died in the plane.

3. Kobe and Gigi - This places third, but could easily turn out to be higher. I keep thinking about traveling with my daughter to AAU tournaments and dance competitions beginning at 6 years old. We traveled as a family. Any similar tragedy in our family would have involved all of us. At every level, I know the pride Kobe felt watching his daughter play the game he loved. I know Kobe was thinking about watching Gigi running down the court and happy they shared the feeling of competition. It hurts he died too young and that she died before she could live out her dreams. They were together and doing something they loved. It is difficult to accept when something positive like that turns tragic.

4. Dale Earnhardt - You didn't have to be a NASCAR fan to understand the impact of his death. I was still following the sport to some degree and watched the big races. It looked like a typical crash and not as severe as most that happen at 200 mph. Seeing the concern on the drivers that ran over to his car indicated something was wrong. Here again, he was racing with his son and trying to help him win. This accident changed the sport. Cars got safer and has probably saved lives. I grew less interested in that form of racing after Earnhardt's death to a point that I only watch 2 races. The first and the last.

5. Olympic Terrorism - I was very young, but I remember that I enjoyed watching the '72 Olympics. It was the first Olympics I was old enough to remember. With only 3 channels on our TV, I watched the coverage and learned about events I had never seen before. Instead of events being shown, they began showing a building with people in black hoods and weapons. This wasn't make believe or a movie. It was really happening.

None, I don't know those people, and their deaths didn't impact my day or my life in any way.... but I'm just not into celebrity worship. This crap is just another form of gossip for dumb boring people .
 
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For me, Jason Collier passing away tops this list and I can't even think of anyone who is even a close second.

That was such a surreal and strange time.
 
I was thinking last night about the tragedies involved with team and individual sports away from the sport itself. As a fan of Indycar, I have witnessed horrific crashes and watched wrecks live on TV that took a life. I know that sick feeling of something going really wrong. I am thinking more about tragedies that took place away from the sport, but feel free to list any sporting tragedy. My top 5:

1. UE Plane crash - I was 13 and watching TV when the news came across the Evansville station I was watching. There was a coal strike and people were conserving power both inside and outside of their homes. It was also a cold and rainy evening. The news, the darkness, and the weather were a combination I will never forget. I have received a kick in the gut from other shocking news since, but this really affected me.

2. Cousin's plane crash - I had a second cousin a year older than me that was an all state basketball player from my parents' hometown in Illinois. I had met him at family reunions and he was the only other boy my age that always showed up. He had graduated high school and was going to play college basketball at a small school in Missouri. He had helped organize an FCA basketball camp for young kids at the local college. He made plans to fly with a family friend to a small airport in Tennessee to pick up Doug Collins. Collins had agreed to come lead the clinic. He had either just ended or was about to end his playing career and thinking about coaching. The small plane my cousin was in crashed near the airport Doug Collins was waiting at. I've always wanted to know what Doug Collins knew about the 18 year old that died in the plane.

3. Kobe and Gigi - This places third, but could easily turn out to be higher. I keep thinking about traveling with my daughter to AAU tournaments and dance competitions beginning at 6 years old. We traveled as a family. Any similar tragedy in our family would have involved all of us. At every level, I know the pride Kobe felt watching his daughter play the game he loved. I know Kobe was thinking about watching Gigi running down the court and happy they shared the feeling of competition. It hurts he died too young and that she died before she could live out her dreams. They were together and doing something they loved. It is difficult to accept when something positive like that turns tragic.

4. Dale Earnhardt - You didn't have to be a NASCAR fan to understand the impact of his death. I was still following the sport to some degree and watched the big races. It looked like a typical crash and not as severe as most that happen at 200 mph. Seeing the concern on the drivers that ran over to his car indicated something was wrong. Here again, he was racing with his son and trying to help him win. This accident changed the sport. Cars got safer and has probably saved lives. I grew less interested in that form of racing after Earnhardt's death to a point that I only watch 2 races. The first and the last.

5. Olympic Terrorism - I was very young, but I remember that I enjoyed watching the '72 Olympics. It was the first Olympics I was old enough to remember. With only 3 channels on our TV, I watched the coverage and learned about events I had never seen before. Instead of events being shown, they began showing a building with people in black hoods and weapons. This wasn't make believe or a movie. It was really happening.
U E crash, Just gripped the area. I always wondered how good the Duff kid would be. That team had promise!
 
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None, I don;t know those people, and there deaths didn't impact my day or my life in any way.... but I'm just not into celebrity worship. It's just another form of gossip for dumb people ..
I've never met someone with absolutely no empathy for others. Even the most narcissistic person I know shows concern for others.

It has nothing to do with celebrity worship. We don't feel bad for the ones that passed away. We feel bad for those that mourn the loss of a loved one. It isn't necessary to know the person or the family of a plane crash victim to feel their loss. You just need to be human,
 
UE plane crash, by far. Knew some of the players.
My sister was a senior at UE that year so it was constantly in my thoughts. Even at commencement it was a hard thing to attend.
I forgot about Hank Gaithers. I was still playing rec league ball and that kind of thing was always in the back of my mind given my dad's history of heart related episodes.
 
  1. Payne Stewart - enjoyed the personality he brought to golf.
  2. Len Bias - as mentioned above I was a quasi Celtics fan and was excited about him playing on that team.
  3. Reggie Lewis - great player ... so sad
  4. Hank Gathers - was so excited to see him at the next level ... can still remember that day
  5. Pat Tillman - not about the war, but about the character of a man who gave up so much to defend/honor his country
  6. Boston Marathon Bombings
 
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My sister was a senior at UE that year so it was constantly in my thoughts. Even at commencement it was a hard thing to attend.
I forgot about Hank Gaithers. I was still playing rec league ball and that kind of thing was always in the back of my mind given my dad's history of heart related episodes.
Oh, I was not and am not a Yankees fan, but I did like Thurman Munson.
 
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1. Dan Wheldon
2. Scott Brayton
3. Evansville BBall team
4. 1972 Olympics
Brayton was a tough loss. I grew up from my earliest memory loving Indycar. I wonder if there will be a limit or an accident that will cause me to never go back.
 
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Brayton was a tough loss. I grew up from my earliest memory loving Indycar. I wonder if there will be a limit or an accident that will cause me to never go back.
Brayton was really tough. I grew up about 20 miles from his hometown (and Gordon Johncock’s) and he was my favorite racer at the time. I was so excited when he won the pole and so crushed when he was killed. Wheldon was a big one too. I wasn’t really a fan of his in his prime but when he came back to race at Vegas he was like a new man and obviously really excited to be racing. I watched all 4 or 5 hours of coverage of that in disbelief.
 
I didn’t know this about the UE plane crash:

From wiki:
“The only member of the Purple Aces who did not die in the crash was David Furr; he was out for the season with an ankle injury and thus was not on the plane that day. But just two weeks after the crash, Furr and his younger brother Byron were killed in a car accident near Newton, Illinois, leaving the entire 1977 Evansville team dead.”

Wow, what a tragedy.

Also of note is that at the of the previous season Jerry Sloan was hired as the next UE coach, but then decided not to take the job a day later.
 
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Brayton was really tough. I grew up about 20 miles from his hometown (and Gordon Johncock’s) and he was my favorite racer at the time. I was so excited when he won the pole and so crushed when he was killed. Wheldon was a big one too. I wasn’t really a fan of his in his prime but when he came back to race at Vegas he was like a new man and obviously really excited to be racing. I watched all 4 or 5 hours of coverage of that in disbelief.
Wheldon came back with new teeth and a better attitude. He was going to have a good second act. The Vegas accident was devastating and violent. I am a little worried about the plans to add horsepower.
 
I've never met someone with absolutely no empathy for others. Even the most narcissistic person I know shows concern for others.

It has nothing to do with celebrity worship. We don't feel bad for the ones that passed away. We feel bad for those that mourn the loss of a loved one. It isn't necessary to know the person or the family of a plane crash victim to feel their loss. You just need to be human,

To be fair, are you REALLY affected by these things, or simple feel as if you're supposed to be affected by them? Yes these people all have varying degrees of fame and their deaths are shocking in the sense that they are unexpected. But anonymous people (to most of us) die everyday and we give zero shits about them.
 
To be fair, are you REALLY affected by these things, or simple feel as if you're supposed to be affected by them? Yes these people all have varying degrees of fame and their deaths are shocking in the sense that they are unexpected. But anonymous people (to most of us) die everyday and we give zero shits about them.

As a kid my family went out to eat in Chicago. Ditka was in the other room, the waiter said "hey, does your kid want to meet Mike Ditka". My uncle responds "does he want to meet us?". i did not meet him...but it really is the best response possible
It is sad that a family lost their husband and father....but sports are the most overrated thing that humans have ever developed
 
I didn’t know this about the UE plane crash:

From wiki:
“The only member of the Purple Aces who did not die in the crash was David Furr; he was out for the season with an ankle injury and thus was not on the plane that day. But just two weeks after the crash, Furr and his younger brother Byron were killed in a car accident near Newton, Illinois, leaving the entire 1977 Evansville team dead.”

Wow, what a tragedy.

Also of note is that at the of the previous season Jerry Sloan was hired as the next UE coach, but then decided not to take the job a day later.
When it's your time, it's your time!
 
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To be fair, are you REALLY affected by these things, or simple feel as if you're supposed to be affected by them? Yes these people all have varying degrees of fame and their deaths are shocking in the sense that they are unexpected. But anonymous people (to most of us) die everyday and we give zero shits about them.
Yes, we are. The reason sports is as popular as it is is because we develop emotional attachments to teams and players. Proof of that is that you're here on a sports message board with an Archie button representing your likeness. We may not know them personally but they are a part of our lives and losing them hurts.
 
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To be fair, are you REALLY affected by these things, or simple feel as if you're supposed to be affected by them? Yes these people all have varying degrees of fame and their deaths are shocking in the sense that they are unexpected. But anonymous people (to most of us) die everyday and we give zero shits about them.

That's what made the Len Bias thing impactful to me; it actually made me reevaluate my behavior and change it for the better. I sort of feel that way with Kobe too. While I thought he was self-absorbed, especially early on, you can't question the guys dedication and work ethic, and he's accomplished a lot off the court as well and seems to have become a dedicated father.
 
To be fair, are you REALLY affected by these things, or simple feel as if you're supposed to be affected by them? Yes these people all have varying degrees of fame and their deaths are shocking in the sense that they are unexpected. But anonymous people (to most of us) die everyday and we give zero shits about them.
I am glad I am able to care about people I don't know. I credit my parents for teaching me to love everyone. I'm proud to have passed it on to my children.

It isn't more tragic because it involved Kobe Bryant. It is different because more people learned of the accident because Kobe was involved.

I feel bad for all the families that have lost one or more family members. I don't see how anyone could not care when 9 people are lost. I didn't know anyone that died on 9/11. You're saying that I shouldn't give a shit about those people and their families?
 
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