A Different Kind of Flag Football Game

I'm back in New York for Thanksgiving, and one thing that my community has done for the past few years is hold an annual flag football game. It's a pretty tight knit community here, which is amazing considering there are thousands of people who are considered part of the community. You don't usually think about how close we all are until something tragic happens.

In 2008, Rick Bailey was murdered in Albany, New York, in a completely random and senseless act of violence. He was walking home when he was gunned down. The killers were found and are all serving lengthy sentences in prison, but that has done little to comfort those who knew him. No amount of punishment will bring back their son, brother, and friend.

Bailey was a 3 sport athlete and a 2004 graduate of MacArthur High School, but if you ever go to the flag football game in his honor, you can see that he was more than just a random kid on the football team - he was a friend to everyone, and a treasured part of the Levittown community. Thousands of people turn out, with a multi team flag football tournament held in his honor. The first tournament was held back in 2008, only around a month after his death. It was started by a few of his friends who were looking for a way to honor their friend through the best way they knew how - sports.

In the few years that the tournament has been around, it has transformed into a second Homecoming of sorts. Thousands of dollars have been raised for the Rick Bailey Memorial Scholarship, and every year there is a donation given in Rick's name to a different charity. What started as a small way to honor a friend has turned into a way to help the community heal. For one day at least, it's like Bailey is back with us, celebrating the Thanksgiving break with a game of flag football and way more than a few friends.