Sports have always sparked entertainment in society – a competitive war between opposing sides.

But the world was in no mood for entertainment Tuesday following the terrorist attacks in New York. The world of sports has been abruptly halted as the world reflects on this tragedy.

For once the rivalry in athletics has faded and the world needs to come together against those who did this.

I always believed that society could not survive without sports. Every day I could pick up the paper or turn on the television and there is an entire section devoted to the love of sports. Who won, what was the score, and how did the team react. But today there is nothing to report and no games to seek results of.

Athletic events have existed since the dawn of time and competition thrives in every human.

Every day is a new competition, a new battle. Whether you were watching the game or out in battle in uniform looking into your opponent’s eye, you were always surrounded by a war.

But Tuesday the war was not out on the athletic field. It was in the hearts of every American watching the television as their hearts sank with the fall of the World Trade Center towers.

Many athletic teams have canceled or postponed events scheduled for Tuesday out of respect to the tragic events that occurred, but others were postponed because of the lack of concentration for athletics.

Following the postponed start to the PGA World Golf Championship, visiting Ernie Els of South Africa expressed his confusion at the chain of events in a story by the Associated Press stating, ” `I don’t understand how these guys can even hit the balls,’ he said, pointing toward the practice range.”

And with the baseball playoffs just three weeks away, games have been pushed into the background. Tuesday was the first time since D-Day in 1944 that a whole day of regular-season play was wiped out.

Now isn’t the time to worry about a missed game.

Historically, President Franklin Roosevelt ordered games to continue through World War II. In 1989, the city of San Francisco asked baseball to continue the World Series between the Giants and Oakland following a devastating earthquake.

Athletics have provided a comfort in society – a source of healing.

But right now the nation is still too tender to carry on with sports. Athletics are insignificant in comparison to the events that happened Tuesday. The safety of the nation is the priority.