Monday September 10th, 2001 is often overlooked, but it was just as important as the other days of this week that we remember the events of the next day. Monday September 10th, 2001 would be the last day that 2,997 Americans would see a sunset. For many, it would be the last time they say I love you to their families at the dinner table that night. Now, this is a sports and Disney blog, but each had its own issues that spawned out of 9/11. The next day would be monumental and is a day where everyone has a story of where they were or what they remember. Monday September 10th, 2001 would be the last day that many Americans would go anywhere without any fear of the worst thing that could happen.
On the night of 9/10/01 there were two big sports stories. Barry Bonds had hit his 63rd home run of the season and the speculation of him using performance-enhancing drugs had already began. It was also week one of the NFL season. The Monday Night Football game was the New York Giants at Denver Broncos. The Broncos were opening up there brand new stadium which they still play in to this season.
The Disney side of the events of 9/11 has a different flow. The parks in Orlando, Florida were barely opened when the attacks began in New York and closed shortly after. The California parks being three hours behind due to time zones never opened. It was only the second time Disneyland closed due to a national tragedy. The first was when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas in 1963. In the Florida parks, the closing was very peaceful as Cast Members (employees) would form a human wall and guide guests to the exit of the park. This was in order to not create panic. It took less than 30 minutes to evacuate all four parks.
We all know what happened on the next day 9/11/01 is a day that we will never forget. Since that fateful day, we have seen security increase. I was only five years old when the attacks happened. I am not too knowledgeable on the entire day. I do know that on 9/12/01 we were united as a nation. It was the first homeland attack on the continental United States. The first time that Americans truly did not know what was coming next.
The aftermath of each perspective of this blog was as follows. The Disney parks would re-open on September 12th. There would be a no flight zone put into effect over Walt Disney World. The FAA would create this law. Security was increased immediately in the parks. All bags, and anything and everything would be searched. The sports world would stop for 10 days. The NFL and NCAA Football would postpone their games for the weekend. This would push the Super Bowl into February for this season and would become permanent after the 2003 season. Major League Baseball may have had the best moment out of 9/11 once sports returned. The New York Mets played their first home game since the attacks on September 21 and Catcher Mike Piazza hit a walk-off home run to win the game for the Mets. The stadium erupted in cheers and emotion. The New York Yankees would go on to play in the World Series but lose in 7 games to Arizona. While, not sports or Disney related all of television was affected by the attacks as episodes would never air or be changed due to sensitivity of viewers. It is safe to say that on 9/11/01 our nation changed, but 9/10/01 would become what is known as the last normal day.
