Paris, Wembley Stadium, and the Code

The horrific terrorist attacks in Paris have both stunned and united the civilized world. More than any other city, Paris symbolizes art, culture, intellect, beauty and all the values we associate with “civilization.” Historically, there are no greater rivals than England and France, and yet as those countries’ national teams came to play a soccer game at Wembley Stadium in London Tuesday, they found a stadium with its iconic arch in red, white, and blue, the three colors ringing the stadium, scores of signs and flags, the French motto “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” (fraternity: “brotherhood,” meaning “mutual friendship and support”) on the scoreboard, and finally, after the playing of the English national anthem, the whole stadium joined in singing the Marseillaise. Similar to President Bush and Mayor Giuliani at Ground Zero in New York, the moment was a symbol of the best of humanity standing together in the face of evil. In all we do in our work and our play, we seek to make the world a better place, for ourselves, our families, our communities and our world. At Wembley Stadium something far more important than a game was displayed. As athletes we always have a role to play, and together we can do our part to make this a better world.