After Sept. 11’s tragedies, security everywhere has been increased for the safety of our fellow Americans.

This Saturday, the Huskie football game between NIU and Sam Houston State won’t be any different, as tighter security will be enforced for all fans entering Huskie Stadium.

Sports have taken a back seat this week, as our country mourned last week’s tragedies. However, sports are back in action, but not without precautions.

“We plan to have an increased amount of NIU police at the game this Saturday,” said associate athletic director Robert Collins. “However, we are being intelligent about it.”

NIU is like the rest of the nation — scared of what may come in the later months, what may happen to our country and what may happen to our fellow Americans.

However, we, as Americans, can’t be afraid of what may happen when we go to a sporting event, out to eat or to the mall. That would show weakness, which is exactly what the terrorists wanted.

“The whole world has changed a bit since the tragedies,” said Joe Novak, NIU football coach. “We can’t walk around looking behind our backs all the time. We’ve got to move on sometime.”

NIU should take comfort in knowing that our school, as well as our nation, is trying to prevent another horrific act like last week’s from happening again.

When we as fans go to sporting events, we go to root for our team, to get away from our jobs and to have a good time. However, it seems this week that our country has gotten away from seeing sports as enjoyable. It seems to me that people see them just as relief from having to watch any more coverage of the terrible act of terrorism on television.

This week, it seems the people of the United States have come to appreciate what our nation’s security does for us day in and day out. In New York, and all around our country, firefighters and police officers have offered their help to try and find missing people within the rubble of the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon.

Every American, including myself, took some pride in our nation’s firefighters and police officers. We offer our greatest thanks to all those who put their lives on the line day in and day out.

So this weekend, when attending the football game, or any game, be thankful that our school as well as our nation is taking added precaution by adding more security at sporting events.

Sports should be entertaining, and hopefully the added security this weekend will help all Huskie fans, as well as Sam Houston State fans, feel safe.