For many people, sports offer an escape from reality. When troubling times affect society, a simple game can bring joy and hope.

Right now, that’s not something people can turn to as sports are on a hiatus amid the coronavirus pandemic.

A hiatus from the game you love is something Dr. Tim Fontenot knows all too well.

Twenty years ago, Fontenot founded one of Acadiana’s most celebrated annual high school football games, the Tee Cotton Bowl.

From 2013 to 2017, the Ville Platte tradition took a bit of a break. In 2018, the Tee Cotton Bowl returned.

And Fontenot is taking what he learned from that time away from the game and offering advice to fans on how to get through this timeout in the sports world.

“If you grieve, that’s okay,” Fontenot said. “Remember the good things. Talk about it. We didn’t take negative thoughts. We had a call-in show, and people gave their good things. It’s almost like at a wake, but you know, it’s kind of like Lazarus, you know he’s gonna come back. You just don’t know when. One day, Jesus gonna say, come on back. Sports is open for business again. That’s gonna be great. Our country’s gonna be great. Our world’s gonna be better. We’re gonna come out better, just like the Tee Cotton Bowl did. We’re gonna come out better on the other side.”