Oct. 30, 2001. President George Bush throws out the first pitch of the World Series at Yankee Stadium, one month after the September 11 attacks.

May 2, 2011. U.S.A. chants arise from the crowd at Citizens Bank Park as news breaks on the killing of Osama Bin Laden.

Nov. 22, 2016. I woke up at 1 a.m. and found out my uncle had died of a heart attack at 44 years old. The first place I went the next morning was our basketball shootaround before school.

America’s pastime, and sports as a whole, have been a uniting force for our country, and a place where people come together and escape from their everyday lives.

It has now been 34 days since Rudy Gobert of the NBA’s Utah Jazz tested positive for coronavirus and the sports world quickly shut down, taking a safe haven away from many in this time of self-isolation.

Our hopes of live sports returning in some capacity were almost fulfilled when Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White insisted last week that UFC 249 would go on as scheduled on Apr. 19. In an interview on ESPN’s “Get Up” with Mike Greenberg, White said that the event would happen in an undisclosed location.

Less than 48 hours after that interview, news broke that UFC 249 was off. White spoke with ESPN’s UFC Insider Brett Okamoto and explained that Disney and ESPN urged him to call off the event and postpone future fight cards indefinitely.

Even in Wuhan, China where the epidemic started, the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) has numerous setbacks in its restart, despite the region lifting its mandatory lockdown exactly one week ago today.

A safe haven has been revoked for millions, nay, billions of people across the globe. Even if most people are not sports-minded fanatics like me, sports is used everyday as inspiration, motivation, and a temporary retreat from their daily lives.

Finding an escape from our everyday lives can be hard in any situation, and many of us have a place that we always go to when we need it. Spending time with friends, playing video games, going to the gym, and for many, watching sports, either a game or a talk show.

Apr. 14, 2020. we are living in an unprecedented time; in case you haven’t heard that phrase before. At this time, we are left without our escape from COVID-19.

Finding an escape can be hard, but it is important to not give up. Sports will be back. We will be back. Take this time to appreciate all the memories sports has already given us.

Relive Kobe’s 60 points in his final game. Relive Tiger’s comeback win at The Masters last year. Relive every moment that you will never be able to forget. And most of all, remember that while we may be at home, we are still united. And remember that when this is all over, we’ll be making memories in stadiums, arenas, bars, and living rooms once again.