#BostonStrong?

The Boston Red Sox won the World Series last night. I heartily congratulate them. I'm not a baseball fan at all, but as a current sorta East Coaster (DC), I am drawn regularly into the Yankees/ Red Sox rivalry. Truthfully, I don't like televised baseball, & since I only see those teams that way, my #1 hope is that they both disappear. However, since they'll both keep existing despite my wishes, I don't care who wins, but I like the projection of the Red Sox attitude better. First, I love the song Sweet Caroline; second, I like that they don't care how players look [That Johnny dude who went from Red Sox to Yankees after they won for the first time in 81 (or 87?) years & cut his hair is totally a jerk in the eyes of all non-Yankee fans.]; and third, Sox fans are 50% annoying & 50% endearing when they claim to be an underdog ALL of the time. (Mark my words; those guys will lose the first three games next year, claim to have a rebuilding year, and then easily win the World Series again but talk the whole season about their underdogness. Poor Cubs fans are true underdogs but don't chatter nearly as much about their HORRIBLE WOES!) The Yankees, on the other hand, seem like evil robots somehow. 

The point of this whole rant so far is I like the Sox well enough given that they're a baseball team (and that I truly do feel very sorry for the Cubs)...

BUT...

I think anyone who is using the hashtag #BostonStrong to show the pride in their team is an ass. #BostonStrong was a hashtag used after the Boston marathon this year because a tragedy took place at the end of said marathon. Two horrific men created bombs made of pressure cookers that killed &/or injured multiple people near the finish line of the marathon. One died by being runover by his brother (the other perpetrator of the crime). The other ran rampant in an almost totally shutdown city (Boston) for over a day before hiding in the boat of some folks who called the police. The police killed the man there. Boston went through a TERRIBLE time, and they impressed the shit out of the rest of us by holding themselves together when we imagine we'd all have been cowered in our living rooms crying. THAT's what Boston strong is. Now, they want to hijack the hashtag for a baseball game?

My boyfriend actually argued with me saying that the hashtag means the city overcame & they overcame to win the World Series too. I disagree very strongly and think it was for one event. I feel if the Yankees hashtagged a World Series win with #NeverForget, it would be a similar transgression.

David Ortiz is an amazing baseball player, but he's NOT what made #BostonStrong & what made Boston an inspiration in April. What did make that were the folks who finished the marathon & kept running to a blood bank to give blood to those who'd just lost it. What else did make #BostonStrong was the restaurant near the marathon finish line that turned into a triage center filled with restaurant employees turned pseudo-doctors. What didn't make #BostonStrong was Tom Brady's come-from-behind arm that took the Pats to a victory when they were far down after the first half (another instance when folks used the hashtag) What else did make #BostonStrong was the people of Boston huddled bravely in their homes knowing a strange killer (who ran over his brother & left him to die after he created pressure cooker bombs set to go off at the finish line of a marathon - something that should bring NOTHING but pride & joy to all who try & certainly all who complete it) was on the loose in the town they know & love. What did not make #BostonStrong was winning a baseball game & shoving St Louis's face in it.

Hashtags for tragedies should NEVER be used to discuss something outside of the tragedy. I am not arguing that the people of Boston aren't strong - they are - but I think there's a way to honor that (& their great baseball team) without pulling the symbol of a tragedy into it.