Tara Wellman
27 supporters

What now?

Mar 14, 2020

It's been a whirlwind 48 hours, to be incredibly cliché.

Without trying to make a worldwide pandemic about myself, the reality of the last few days is that a virus that no one quite knows how to control has erased everything that was "normal" just 72 hours ago. Not to be dramatic, but life without baseball is sad enough... life without a paycheck? That's a heck of a lot harder.

(Don't get me wrong, saving lives is worth the temporary struggle.)

But, I'm far from the only one. Thousands and thousands of contract workers -- sports media, gameday staff, arena vendors, and more -- are staring at more uncertainty than ever (and that's saying a lot for full-time freelancers who thrive on uncertainty!). It's a weird time for everyone. It's scary. It's discouraging. It's completely uncharted territory.

You see, the sports field always felt pretty safe, despite the ever-evolving nature of television, print, and online content creation. Even when disaster strikes, we still have sports. Even when the world seems like it's drowning in chaos, we still have sports. Come rain or shine, snow or sleet, indoor or outdoor, we still have sports. On TV, online, on your phone, on the radio, and yes, still in newspapers and magazines.

I've told this story before, but baseball means more to me than "just a game," because baseball, for me, became a way to relate to people anywhere and everywhere. Lest you find that insignificant, consider the most introverted, shy, socially anxious person you know, and imagine them finding one thing that made their eyes light up, no matter who was around.

Baseball is that thing. My thing.

Sports are that thing for so many. The thing that connects us, that creates conversation that's less mundane than "How about this weather, huh?" And for many, normally, sports are an escape from the scary, the complicated, and the unknown.

Anyone saying, "It's just sports!" about the last few days doesn't understand the value of that escape.

Or, the panic that comes from essentially losing your job overnight.

The beauty, though, in all of this is watching people -- who are all too often divided and angry -- realize the best thing we can do is care for each other, recreating the support and, dare I say it, the escape that is so special about sports. You all have already been that for me, and I'm eternally grateful.

I can't tell you what kind of content you'll continue to find here. I'm still sorting through the fallout, just like everyone else. But I can tell you that I'm more inspired than ever to turn lemons into lemonade, to take control of a situation that feels like a tailspin, and to come out on the other side of this (whenever that is) even more prepared to embrace the beautiful stories of challenge and triumph that sports like baseball give me to tell.

Hang in there. Thank you. Keep washing your hands.

Enjoy this post?

Buy Tara Wellman a coffee

More from Tara Wellman