I was somewhat appalled after reading Lane Weaver's article in the March 15 opinion section. He noted that sports seem to be doing more harm than good to our society. He went on to refer to sports as a waste of knowledge and time by calling it useless trivia.

I highly doubt Mr. Weaver would broaden his intelligence by erasing the "useless sports trivia" in his head and replacing it with "Macbeth, Gray's Anatomy and a few chapters of the phonebook." You see intelligence has to be applicable to the people around you.

The truth is that sports (not Macbeth or chapters in a phonebook) are followed by a vast majority of people in America and around the world. Sports can be used as an ice-breaker in corporate America or a punch line in a political speech. After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, it was Major League Baseball's playoffs and the NFL's Super Bowl XXXVI (coincidentally won by the Patriots) that rallied America together in a time when we needed it the most. Professional sports played an integral role in the mending of our wounded nation back in 2001.

Rarely do I ever see any forms of patriotism outside of a sporting event, and I have yet to hear a better rendition of the Star Spangled Banner that was sung by Whitney Houston during Super Bowl XXV. Sports are not harming our society, Mr. Weaver. They are here to entertain and bring a sense of pride to our great nation and her citizens.