Henry Furman

I heard Chris Berman speak at a football banquet in New York several years ago. His message was simple: the world is getting crazier, less certain and more complicated. Therefore, the game is more important than ever.

“It’s our job to protect football,” he said. “It’s one of the only things left that brings all of us together.”

Thinking back on the teams I was lucky enough to be a part of, in Portland and elsewhere, the ideas behind Mr. Berman’s statements are clear as day. Athletics provide us with mentors, role models and teammates that open the aperture and accelerate our understanding of how the world works. They create opportunities for us—even in under-recruited Portland, Oregon—to spend time in spaces that we never imagined possible. And most importantly they simplify the chaos. The team must do only whatever it takes to win the game.

Everything else—opinions, achievements, failures, etc.—takes a back seat.

Berman is right. Sports are more important than ever. I feel incredibly fortunate to have experienced a heavy dose at a young age, alongside many of you in this room.

To be sure, I have to thank a few specific people:

• Peyton Chapman and Jeff Peeler for creating an ambitious balance of athletics and academics at Lincoln HS.
• Bill Ranta and Rob Herder for their mentorship on the baseball diamond.
• Chad Carlson, Adam Grimes and Collin Beeson for the opportunities they gave me on the football field.
• Michael Preston for making himself known within the halls of Lincoln HS and bringing me out to New Haven.
• My parents Don and Marta for their relentless support.