Ferguson has been in the national spotlight ever since the shooting of Michael Brown and the unrest has disrupted all walks of life. The situation will not likely dissipate any time soon but the St. Louis Rams were able to lighten the lives of high school football players in Ferguson, even if it was just for an afternoon:
Watching the violence over Michael Brown’s killing unfold in Ferguson last week, a Rams staffer thought of the high schoolers, specifically, the boys who are supposed to play in their first football game of the season this weekend. Rams manager of fan development & alumni relations Kyle Eversgerd put in a call to coaches at McCluer High, McCluer North and McCluer South; there would be 75 free tickets awaiting each team if they chose to come to Saturday’s preseason game at the Edward Jones Dome.
“In light of everything going on it just kind of hit me,” says Eversgerd, whose job includes outreach with local high schools. “I can’t imagine with all that stuff going on, how tough it must be to practice. We were able to get them away from it all.”
Many things are more important than football but it was great of the Rams to try and unburden some kids from the worrisome developments coming from their area.
Today, the Missouri governor has ordered that the National Guard be deployed in Ferguson in order to reduce the turmoil within the region.
