The Problem with Sports Military Homecomings

Sports provide us with some of the most beautiful and pure moments that humanity has to offer. The exertion of energy and emotion leaves us at our most vulnerable, so the big moments can feel even bigger. There’s no better example of this than military homecomings at halftime of sporting events where parents are reunited with their children after serving time overseas. It has become commonplace, and – despite its beauty - a bit problematic.

You see, let’s imagine my dad was serving overseas in the military. Let’s assume he’s a Lieutenant General (Payne men have great leadership qualities that I’m sure would’ve allowed my dad to rise through the ranks and reach such a prestigious level). I’ve been home for months without being able to see my father while he serves. The Indiana Pacers, currently leading the Warriors 105-6, bring me out to mid-court at halftime to honor Lieutenant General Payne and give me a feel-good moment. Having seen enough of these reunions before, after a video tribute airs on the jumbotron, I am now completely expecting the crowd to roar as my dad emerges from the locker room to come give me a hug at mid-court (I then ask him why on earth he waited an entire half of a basketball game before surprising me when we’ve literally been in the same arena for the last hour and a half). Herein lies the problem – it has become an expectation that the military parent shows up in these situations.

At some point, some kid out there is going to get his/her heart broken. An organization is genuinely going to just want to honor the kid and their parent in the service, but not be able to fly the parent in for a surprise, and that kid is going to be crushed. Instead of turning around to a parent in full army uniform, they will simply turn around to a sweaty 35-year old man in a fuzzy, anatomically-incorrect cat costume. And, while a hug from a mascot may be plusher, it seems like a downgrade from getting to embrace your dad who’s been in Kuwait for 8 months.