I arrived at the São Paulo International Airport Sunday at 10:41 p.m., Brazil time, as New Orleans Saints kicker Will Lutz had just kicked a field goal to put his team up one with 25 seconds remaining. As an avid supporter of the Minnesota Vikings, the Saints’ opponent, I was devastated. There was no way my beloved football team could get enough yards in so little time to kick a field goal or score a game-winning touchdown.

Well, turns out, there was.

With ten seconds left on the shot clock, Case Keenum threw a mid-range pass to wideout Stefon Diggs, who escaped from a tackle, ran for about 35 yards and capped a 61-yard touchdown as time ran out. The Vikings, with the miraculous win, secured a spot at the NFC Championship Game, where they will face the Philadelphia Eagles. They are now one game away from being the first team in NFL history to play the Super Bowl in their own stadium.

When Diggs caught the pass and scored the touchdown, I screamed. I didn’t care that there were hundreds of Brazilians who had no idea why Americans call football soccer. I didn’t care that they would look at me weird and wonder why a 22-year-old staring at a TV from outside an airport TGI Friday’s was yelling like a madmen. I didn’t care because I was so darn happy.

The question, then, becomes “Why?” It’s weird to think that a bunch of dudes throwing, catching and kicking a football can bring said excitement from someone who didn’t even grow up watching the sport.

But, the answer is simpler than we think: We are fueled by entertainment. We work so we can save money to cover our basic needs, of course. However, we also work so we can go watch the 37th Fast and Furious movie, travel to Cancun for spring break or buy the brand new James Patterson novel, even though it is just like the last one. Entertainment is, well, fun.

Without movies, sports, paintings, theater, literature and music, what would we look forward to after a long day at the office?

What is necessary, however, is to figure out how we can use entertainment and the energy it brings us to make a positive change. It might not seem possible, but entertainment could be the answer to social, economic and political progress in the United States and the world.

This is what our Opinion Page will strive for this semester: to bring columns and cartoons that not only entertain, but pieces that can positively influence our readers. As the opinion editor, I can’t promise a certain amount of impact we will make. However, I can guarantee you that we are committed to producing and publishing high-quality, well-reported content that is serious but fun, meaningful but enjoyable.

Throughout the next few months, you will be introduced (or re-introduced) to some of Kent State’s most passionate and skilled opinion writers and cartoonists. We hope you follow their work along and, even more importantly, participate as well. My email is open for submissions, collaborations and project ideas. After all, the Kent Stater and KentWired are just as yours as they are ours.

 Bruno Beidacki is the opinion editor. Contact him at [email protected].