"Of all the cities…and of all the sports.”
That’s what KPLU sports commentator Art Thiel is saying about this week’s deadly bombing at the Boston Marathon. Art says the attack will only strengthen the resolve of marathon runners and the sports-loving city.
'Such a violation on so many levels'
Art says the bombing hasn't changed the will or resolve of American sports fans. In fact, it's hardened it.
"There is something about Boston that's the hometown of all of us. And there's something about marathoning that really embodies all that's great about athletics and all that so angers us about this episode."
'Nothing like the marathon'
Art was in Athens for the 2004 Summer Olympics. He says it was quite a spectacle to be in the stands for the finish of the marathon - in the country where the Olympics began.
"There's a reason the Olympics save the marathon for last because there's nothing like the drama. And there's nothing like, to me, a marathoner completing the appointed round because, well, I can't do it! And I think all of us admire those people who can do what we believe to be the unimaginable."
"These are the perfect people to demonstrate the resolve to get through this and to be totally unintimidated."
Boston 'one tough city'
Speaking of resolve, Art says the fact that the bombing happened in Boston is particularly jolting.
He's witnessed firsthand the passion the city has for its professional sports teams and events like the Head of the Charles regatta, as well as the marathon.
"I don't think there's another city in the nation that has the intensity, the trans-generational depth and the passion for sports that Boston has. It's a remarkable place. They care so much that they basically declare sports holidays and the marathon was one. And that's why this violation is so much more intense, so much more felt by so many more communities than any other sports events I think they could've picked. And that's why I think the power of what's going to happen after this is going to be much deeper and more lasting."
You can read more of Art Thiel's comments on this issue at Sportspress Northwest. You can also find Art's work at Crosscut.com.
