Saturday was not a typical Orlando City game. And yet somehow it was.
This goes beyond the result — a heartbreaking draw that saw an equalizer scored in stoppage time after it looked like the Lions were going to pull out an emotional victory for a city still mourning. This was the simple act of playing a game, in this city, with everyone still trying to find comfort.
There were memorials and condolences given. The game stopped in the 50th minute to honor the 49 brutally murdered at Pules night club last week. There were rainbow flags and a rainbow’ed stadium to honor the LGBTQ community targeted in this senseless attack.
Each team in Orlando had their piece to say:
The music played in Orlando City was not the usual soundtrack, but songs that re-affirmed the power of love like The Beatles’ “All You Need is Love” and U2’s “In the Name of Love.”
The power of those remembrances and that outpouring of emotion were necessary for a city to heal from tragedy. The city needed this mass gathering and chance to come together as a community.
It was exactly what the community needed.
Representatives from all the sports teams gathered on the field together with first responders from Orlando Fire and Police Departments and Orlando Health and Orlando Regional Medical Center joined together on the field before the game with an Orlando United banner. There were signs of unity and togetherness that transcended sports.
There were tributes like this throughout the night and a lot of outpouring of love. It was cathartic and emotional. The city had public gatherings of mourning so far, but no giant public gathering attempting something . . . normal.
But it was a step toward normalcy. The game began to feel a bit more normal with each passing minute and moment.
The Wall began building up its drums and music and the chanting and singing began. Fans cheered the action on the pitch. Everyone’s mind wandered away from tragedy and more toward . . . soccer.
The game played out and things just began to feel normal again.
No one in Orlando will forget those from the community lost and the pain, hurt and shock that came from that tragic event. Somewhere between 40,000 and 50,000 people attended a vigil at Lake Eola on Sunday. There is clearly a deep pain that still exists.
For two hours though, things seemed normal. There was no pain and there was no tragedy. Just a game played out on the field and the anticipation, glory and anguish that comes from watching a team.
This is what sports are supposed to do in the long run. They are a diversion and a form of entertainment. They bring people together under a single banner no matter their divisions and differences.
As Orlando City has done since it came into existence, it made everyone forget their troubles and just enjoy a game. There was singing, dancing, chanting, drinking and fun. Anything but the thought of tragedy.
Even in a place where there was still so much sorrow and grief, things felt normal. Or as normal as they could be with the constant reminders and remembrances Orlando City displayed during stoppages.
Normalcy is good. The city and people will and need to move on. They need to find a way to show their strength and resolve by going about their normal lives again.
For some, that will remain impossible. Some lives have been irrevocably changed and damaged by the events of that day. For most of the community, they will begin to find some normalcy.
Orlando City played a role in that Saturday. The Lions will continue to play a role in that through the summer. So too will the Orlando Predators when they take the field on Friday against the Tampa Bay Storm.
Normalcy will slowly return to the city. The sports teams are there to help them do that — honoring those that have been lost, providing public space to grieve and providing some form of entertainment and distraction.
No one is going to forget those that were lost or these tragic events. But slowly, everyone will find a new normal and find a way to move forward.
