No, this isn't a pop-culture site. But sometimes events happen that transcend - especially when you are my age. Singer Whitney Houston has died at the age of 48. Why does this have anything to do with a sports blog? For me it was the Super Bowl in 1991, when the United States had just entered a war in the Persian Gulf. Tensions were running high - around the country and at the Super Bowl. Much like 9/11, 1991 saw Red, White and Blue everywhere. That day, Whitney Houston was selected to sing the Star Spangled Banner.
Here performance changed everything. Much like the NFL and the Super Bowl itself, everything around the big game has exploded since then - who sings the National Anthem at the Super Bowl is a big deal because of Houston's performance that day.
Her struggles since then - with drugs, alcohol and Bobby Brown - are well documented. That said, her voice was simply one of the best ever, and her rendition of the Star Spangled Banner that day, at a time when American Pride was at an all-time high, was a thing of beauty.
RIP Whitney Houston. Here's hoping the demons that have plagued you will finally allow you to rest.