sports@claycountyprogress.com
I think it’s safe to say, 2020 has been the longest decade ever. Yes, I said decade. If you look back over this year, we have crammed a decade’s worth of events into seven and a half months.
In January, all eyes were on Washington D.C. as Donald Trump became the first president to be impeached since Bill Clinton. Also that month, tensions between the US and Iran increased after Qasem Soleimani, a military leader in Iran, was killed during an airstrike.
A 50 year drought was ended in February when the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl over the 49ers. The country took the first steps towards a presidential election as some states held primaries. Controversy grew as the results of the Iowa Caucus were delayed for days.
In March we felt the full affect of the COVID-19 pandemic when sporting events were cancelled, schools were closed and we were all asked to stay home for 14 days. The term social distancing was introduced and explained to us as a way to minimize exposure to the virus.
April saw a boom in unemployment numbers as businesses closed due to coronavirus regulations. It was also the month when toilet paper became a temporary currency.
The world thought North Korea might be under new rule but on May 2, North Korean state-run media reported that Kim Jong Un made an appearance at a May Day celebration. They also let us know he was laughing and smoking a cigarette. Way to be there with details. The month ended with the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying astronauts to the International Space Station.
In June, the death of George Floyd while in police custody sparked nationwide protests. Some protests evolved into riots as cities from Seattle to Atlanta saw looting, fires, property destruction and violence.
July saw our country celebrate freedom with arguments over masks and clashes at protests. As the month came to an end, Americans started receiving mysterious seeds from China.
Right now we are less than halfway through August and have already had a 5.1 earthquake in Sparta, N.C. On Monday, President Trump was pulled from a press conference by the Secret Service due to shots being fired outside the Whitehouse.
Keep in mind I didn’t even cover murder hornets, super lice or the fact the Pentagon admitted to having access to aircraft which is “not of this world.” Yeah, that happened.
The way this year is going, by December, my column might be coming to you via carrier pigeon and on a 2x4, written in ketchup.
Hang in there friends, the end is near — one way or another.