A Game For Bryan Stow

A Heartbreaking Anniversary Is Approaching. On Thursday, March 31, 2011, after the season-opening game in which the Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants 2 to 1 in Los Angeles, Bryan Stow, a father, husband, paramedic and Giants fan wearing his orange and black colors, was viciously beaten by two men in a parking lot outside Dodger stadium. A reaction of universal condemnation was immediate. People everywhere showed their support. Many fans attending the next game at Dodger Stadium wore the colors of both teams.

Tragic Consequences. The fact that this occurred to Bryan Stow is a tragedy, but it didn’t happen to just him. It happened to his wife, children, mother, and friends, young EMT’s he would have mentored, his ambulance partner, the patients who would have benefitted from his skill and countless others. A man who had dedicated himself to responding to and assisting others in moments of great duress requiring immediate, life-saving actions was himself rendered to a condition where his very hold on life was tenuous. He has been hospitalized since that moment. One estimate has his medical treatment costing in excess of $50 million. *

A Random Act. I am not pointing my finger at the Dodgers players, fans or its community at large. I have lived in Los Angeles and know firsthand its citizens are decent, law-abiding people who love their teams and are passionate about them. Take a heated rivalry, factor in a close game on opening night, mix in hatred and an absence of respect for human life, and you have the makings of a beating.

A Larger Community. Although we all root for different teams, we are more alike than we think. Regardless of your team, we share the same passion. Each fan believes his team is the best. What happened to Bryan Stow could have happened to any one of us. Bryan Stow is any fan, in any city, rooting for any team, and wearing its colors that happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is part of a larger baseball community. He’s your Dad, brother, husband, friend, you or me. He’s family.

A Game for Bryan Stow. Bryan Stow attended one game and nearly lost all. He may never be the man he once was. I am asking that this season, we each pick one game to give back to him. Instead of purchasing tickets for the game, please consider forgoing the game and donating those funds to assist with his medical treatment. Our baseball community is tens of millions strong. If we each give Bryan Stow one game in this fashion, we can make a huge impact. Thank you.

Donations can be made here: http://support4bryanstow.com/

* source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/09/bryan-stow-medical-costs.html