The NFL, 9/11 and a decision that was bigger than the game (Gift Article)

In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, the impulse of most NFL owners was to play on. The players were the voice of reason. Here's what went down 25 years ago. (Free Link) @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/758...

For most of our history as a country, and certainly in the post-World War II nuclear era, our borders felt impenetrable... @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/758...

…”in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks…owners were intent on staging a full slate of games five days later. The players who successfully pushed back were the voices of reason. "History has judged those players kindly." www.nytimes.com/athletic/758...

For some observers, that steady drumbeat toward Super Bowl LXI has become more annoying than Lars Ulrich’s snare on Metallica’s St. Anger album... @theathletic.com www.nytimes.com/athletic/758...

The NFL, 9/11 and a decision that was bigger than the game www.nytimes.com/athletic/758...

A week without football seems like an obvious calculus now. But 25 years ago, the NFL made the choice much more complicated.

“…as the dust literally settled on the most brutal terror attack on US soil, the…impulse among NFL owners was to play the games. “They wanted to make a statement…that the wheels of commerce would not be stopped, which conveniently benefited their own bottom lines… www.nytimes.com/athletic/758...