Dear Zog Community,
For those of you who don’t know, I founded ZogSports in the wake of 9/11 after my close call revealed what is most important in my life: personal connections, community, and play.
As we reflect on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, I wanted to share some of my thoughts about the importance of community and of the power of sports in bringing people together.
I worked for the Internet group at Marsh & McLennan on the 96th floor of the World Trade Center North Tower. On September 11th, 2001, I was headed to work a few minutes late after dropping off my laundry, picking up my mail post-vacation, and taking the local train. All things I never did.
At 8:46am, I was walking on Church Street, just past the Post Office into the WTC plaza when I heard a loud noise, looked up, and saw a gaping hole in the building where I worked. I was in shock. I stood frozen until the second plane hit and a wall of people started running toward me, then I turned and sprinted away to safety.
None of my 295 colleagues who were already at work that day survived.
As many of you remember, the days and weeks following 9/11 were extremely emotional. It was a time of intense fear and anxiety, but the attack also made us turn to our neighbors and community for comfort. In our shared grief of this experience, we pulled together and — somewhat counterintuitively — restored a sense of community and hope.
Not surprisingly, I struggled with how to make sense of what happened to me. I knew I wanted to spend my life’s work doing something purposeful, something that mattered to me, something that could make our communities stronger and more resilient.
I decided to focus my energy on the most reliable source of joy in my life: playing sports with friends.
Twenty years later, and I am both grateful and proud that ZogSports is still here. We are still bringing thousands of players together every season to play their favorite sports with friends, to meet new friends and teammates, and to build a stronger community.
It has not always been easy. In fact, it has never been easy. But we do this because life is better with real personal connections, caring communities, and a sense of play. We believe that with every fiber of our being. It is who we are. It is our mission. It is our WHY.
Dealing with COVID over these last 18 months has been the most difficult time for our business and for our community. Who would have thought that public gatherings, a lifeblood for most people, would basically stop? And who would have thought that 18 months later we would still be facing so much uncertainty?
But patience, resilience, resourcefulness, and adaptability have been a hallmark of our company through the years. And we have definitely needed every last one of those qualities — and your support — to help us make it through.
I have to admit, some days it was hard to get out of bed. I’m sure many of you can relate to that feeling. I was constantly worried, not only about whether our business would survive, but also whether we’d be able to fulfill our mission. Whether things would ever be the same. Whether we’d ever be able to play again.
The good news is we’re still here. And we’re still here for each other.
I know this pandemic is not over. But in getting this far — with our community intact, our players and officials so supportive and responsible in complying with safety measures, and our leagues still full of that weekly sense of joy and play — I feel a renewed optimism.
This community is strong and resilient. And by coming together every week to play the sports we love with our friends and teammates, you all have made your communities stronger. And thanks to you, our mission is as alive and well today as it was in those early days after 9/11:
We believe life is better with real personal connections, caring communities, and a sense of play.
I am immensely grateful for every single one of you. Thank you for being a part of this community. Let’s keep lifting each other up.
— Robert Herzog
Founder and CEO, ZogSports & ZogCulture