Over the course of a third of a century, we’ve been to sporting events from Massachusetts to California and everywhere in between. We’ve been to gritty gyms in the inner city, palatial swimming pools in suburbia, and enormous purpose-built multisport facilities in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.
At no time did I ever feel fear for my life.
But yesterday, in Pawtucket, R.I., the normally safe cocoon of scholastic sport was shattered when a gunman opened fire 15 times in an ice rink where two teams were playing a game.
According to police, five people were shot, including the shooter’s son and ex-wife, both of whom were pronounced dead. Two other family members were injured due to the gunfire. After the initial burst of gunfire, the gunman fatally shot himself.
Now, a lot of tabloid media are going to jump all over two details in this story. One is that the suspect identified as female, changing their name and wearing women’s clothing. The other detail is that the suspect was an employee at a defense contractor in Maine.
But push those details aside.
What is important is that someone thought it a good idea to bring enough weaponry to fire off 15 rounds in a public place frequented by schoolchildren.
Defenseless schoolchildren.
All of the players in this game wanted to do was to be able to go to school that day, play a Senior Day game in the afternoon, and get home safe.
The spectators wanted to be able to live their lives during the day, go to the game, and arrive home safely.
Regrettably, not everybody in the Dennis M. Lynch Arena yesterday afternoon could do that.
Because of a maniac.
As much as school shootings have become part of the vernacular over the last few decades, you haven’t seen this kind of thing at a sporting event, one of the few events where the public has pretty much unfettered access to school property — or, in this instance, a sports center which regularly hosts high-school hockey events.
I wonder how long it will take for gyms, football stadiums, pools, and outdoor fields to implement airport-style security at their facilities.
Because if that happens, it will be a black mark on our culture.