Windham Wrap-up: Hurricane Ida a Reminder that Sports Bring People Together

As the impacts of the hurricane are felt around the Southeast right as college football is starting, people and programs in the sports community are already stepping up to help out.

College football is officially back, and the Alabama Crimson Tide will take the field to play a real game in five days. It just feels right that college football is in the air.

But it also feels a little different as the start of the 2021 college football season has coincided with the landfall of Hurricane Ida along the Gulf Coast and across the Southeast. If 2020 showed us anything though, it's that people are resilient and college football will still be played. College football, and sports in general, served as a release and moments of happiness throughout really dark times. Now, Hurricane Ida is presenting a new set of challenges for a couple of football teams. 

Two of the programs most affected by the hurricane are LSU in Baton Rouge and Tulane in New Orleans. The Tigers are scheduled to play UCLA out in the Rose Bowl in week one, but headed out of Baton Rouge this Saturday to Houston to stay out of the path of the hurricane as they practice this week. 

Tulane was set to host Oklahoma in the Superdome for an opening week matchup. As of the filming of my video, the game was still scheduled to be played in New Orleans, but reports have since surfaced that the game is being moved to Norman, Oklahoma. 

Either way, the Green Wave football team headed up I-20 to Birmingham this week to stay safe and practice leading up to their opening game. These are just two examples of the  sports community rallying around its own in times of need.

In the days and weeks ahead, I'm sure more needs will arise out of the areas affected by Hurricane Ida. And we will hear of many wonderful stories of sports teams and figures reaching out to help. So as we all get excited for the return of college football, and trust me we are excited to be in Atlanta this weekend providing coverage for Alabama's first game, let's also remember those in need and look for ways that we can help out.