Father's Day, Tim Russert and Sports

As well as focusing on the bond between a father and his children, sports have always been a major part of celebrating Father's Day. However this Father's Day we mourn the loss of one father America has come to love and appreciate, Tim Russert. 

It was a shock to hear of Tim Russert's death, as Tim Russert was a fair, balanced, political commentator who exuded down-to-earth charm and sincere appreciation for life. One can not help but like the man.

In a world of politics and sports, Tim Russert was authentic enough to bridge the divide that permeates this spectrum.

He has earned the respect and admiration of people from all walks of life with his blue-collar ethics.

As a proud resident of Buffalo, Tim Russert always supported the Buffalo Bills and Sabres on his show, Meet the Press.

I am reminded of an article in Sports Illustrated from a few years back. There was a profile of Scott Norwood, the Buffalo Bills kicker who notoriously missed an easy field goal that would have given the Bills a Super Bowl win over the Giants back in 1991.

As recounted in the profile, Norwood saw Tim Russert in the airport once, and Russert gave him grief, but in a good-natured way.

Russert was also a fan of baseball, again showing his passion for sports. His son Luke had just graduated from Boston College this past week. Luke has his own XM Radio podcast with James Carville, and is a fan of sports like his father.

This reminds me of a poignant commercial in which Tim is trying to get tickets for a Boston College men’s basketball game. He seeks the help of some of the team’s players and in return the players are allowed to do a version of Meet the Press.

He was also a season-ticket holder for the Washington Nationals and Washington Wizards.

His death is heartbreaking especially on Father's Day given how Tim made many Americans think about their fathers when he came out with his book Big Russ and Me. His dad fought in World War II and worked for many years as a sanitation worker in Buffalo.

Now in his eighties, his father still maintains an independent spirit that showed in the strong work ethic and determination of Tim's interviews on television. He never took just any answer, but was always asking for the right answer.

Through his Jesuit education, and working with both Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Governor Mario Cuomo of New York, he was able to land a position as an NBC News corresponding in Washington, D.C. He later become bureau chief in Washington, and the started hosting Meet the Press. He was the longest serving host of any modern television program.

I am at a loss for words on how I feel about today’s tragic news. I believe that Tim was a fine political commentator, a true fan of sports, and overall, a wonderful family man who will be sorely missed. He was a great representative of two fields of life so intricate, so complicated, so truly American: sports and politics. Tim, Sundays will never be the same without Meet the Press and you. Requiescat In Pacem.