Coaches Versus Cancer shows the powerful possibilities of athletics

Editorial: Competitive sports at any level have the ability to elicit strong emotions from fans, players and coaches from both sides.
Sometimes, unfortunately, those emotions turn into verbal harassment and physical violence. Just this weekend, videos surfaced of Philadelphia Eagles fans throwing full cans of beers and making lewd gestures at visiting Minnesota Vikings fans ahead of the NFC Championship game. Virtually every online news outlet and sports blog pushed it on their websites, generating millions of views on the video. While it's a shame these videos get the attention they do, this shouldn't be the only piece of evidence on which sports are judged.
As evidenced this weekend by the efforts of the Franklin County Coaches Versus Cancer and the West Fork and Hampton-Dumont School Districts, athletics can be a powerful platform to promote positivity and bring awareness to a worthy cause.
This weekend, the schools celebrated the annual Coaches Versus Cancer event with a day full of basketball. It also included a silent auction and other activities to raise money and awareness for cancer research. The event raised more than $6,000. Coaches Versus Cancer is an annual event that alternates between H-D and West Fork as hosts. Year after year, the event raises thousands of dollars to fight cancer no matter where it's held, which is made possible by the enthusiastic participation from both sides and the tireless planning from the Coaches Versus Cancer officials.
Events like these are important because it shows that it's possible for two fan bases and teams to put differences and rivalries aside and instead bond together for the greater good. In a world where the bottom line is usually to win at all costs, it's easy to forget that sometimes, life is bigger than sports.
What happens on the court or field one day is forgotten in just a week or two. But the impact made through efforts like Coaches Versus Cancer lasts well beyond the final whistle.