By Jennifer Eisenbart
Sports Editor
It can be so easy, watching athletes perform week in and week out, to forget we are dealing with human beings.
What is an athlete but a collection of muscles and bones and a brain and a heart, all trying to work in tune to put out the best performance possible when it counts? That combination creates beautiful moments, but occasionally reminds us also how fragile we truly are.
On Sunday afternoon, as much of the nation watched two of the top men’s college basketball teams in the country battle it out for a spot in the Final Four, Louisville’s Kevin Ware did something he has probably done thousands of times in his career. He went up to contest a shot.
Ware flew through the air, his hands coming up to try and block the 3-point shot of Duke’s Tyler Thornton. The shot swished through the hoop, Thornton went back down the court with his team trailing by one – and it took everyone a few seconds to realize Ware wasn’t following.
When Ware landed, something went tragically wrong. Maybe he landed at an angle. Maybe there was more force on the leg than there had been before. Maybe Ware just has horrible luck. Certainly, when he landed, it looked like nothing more than a player coming down on the court after contesting a shot.
At least, that’s all it looked like for a split second. Then Ware’s right leg cracked an impossible angle, the sophomore guard crumpled to the floor, and a few seconds later, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament came to a screeching halt.
It took everyone a moment to process the injury – an ugly compound fracture – but when they did, everyone looked away. Ware’s teammates on the Louisville bench – which was near where the sophomore landed – recoiled at the sight. They looked for all the word like a group of scared teenagers afraid for their teammate and afraid the injury could be a transmittable disease.
On the court, Ware’s other teammates couldn’t look either. The Duke players huddled at the opposite end as medical personal and the Louisville coaching staff quickly covered Ware’s leg and shielded him from view.
To its everlasting credit, CBS showed the replay only twice. Twice was more than enough, I’m sure, for anyone witnessing the injury, but CBS – like every other sports network, it seems – has learned reactions mean more than showing the gore.
The reactions, in this case, were worthy, once the shock wore off. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski apparently made an offer to let the team’s warm up again once Ware was taken off the court. Ware himself called his teammates over – and told them not to worry about him, but to win the game.
And after a brief lull, that’s exactly what Louisville – the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament – did. The Cardinals went on a 13-2 run with the game tied at 42-42, and ran away with an 85-63 victory.
After the game, Ware’s friend, Chane Behanan, held up Ware’s jersey. Within hours of the game, the news spread that Ware had undergone successful surgery. And the team had won, which meant they did what coach Rick Pitino challenged them to do at halftime – get Ware back home (he’s from Atlanta) for the Final Four, which will be held at the Georgia Dome.
After all that, a country reacted. In the age of social media, the news spread quickly. The injury was posted on YouTube, and likely watched by millions who didn’t see it live. People cried, and opinions were aired. Wishes and prayers circled out like a zone defense drawn up specifically for Ware.
In the aftermath, a Final Four will be played this coming weekend, and a national champion will be crowned. Great basketball will be played, and the game will be showcased at its finest.
But in one single moment in Indianapolis, Kevin Ware reminded us all how easily all of that can get torn away.
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