Tony BeccaWHOEVER doubted the popularity of football in this country must now be convinced of its impact on the people.
Once the poor relation of a sport like cricket, football, because of the Reggae Boyz, is now king. The euphoria surrounding the death of Stephen "Shorty" Malcolm underlined that.
The news of Malcolm's death sent a shock wave around the country and between then and his funeral on Wednesday, Jamaicans mourned in their tens of thousands - as they did 42 years before when Collie Smith, a great cricketer, died in a car accident in England.
Maybe, just maybe, and as it probably was with Collie who died in the prime of his career, the reason for the overwhelming reaction to Malcolm's passing was the tragedy of it all. After qualifying, for the first time, for the World Cup finals in 1998, Jamaica are bidding to qualify again, and Malcolm died in a car accident a few hours after representing Jamaica.
It probably was more than that, however. It probably was because of who he was, because of the game he played, because of how he played the game and because of his contribution to one of Jamaica's greatest moments in sport.
Malcolm was an outstanding footballer, he was a player who gave everything on the pitch - for his club and for his country, he was a good ambassador for the game, he was a member of the team that won a place in the World Cup finals, he was one of those who played in the World Cup finals and the week-long tributes to him underlined his quality and his class.
In short, it is obvious, Malcolm was loved by many and respected by many more.
In life, however, no one could take Malcolm away from football, and in death he cannot be separated from it.
As much as they loved him, the people's reaction to Malcolm's death - the multitudes at the National Arena and at Jarrett Park, the flags, the national colours everywhere, people walking the streets dressed in the national colours, cars on the roads with the flag fluttering - underlined the rise in the popularity of football in this country and the impact of the Reggae Boyz.
It also demonstrated that apart from being a people of passion, Jamaicans are compassionate.
There are those who believe it was all too much, that politicians and the media over-reacted and they may be right.
The fact is, however, that it was the people who set the tone, and they were simply saying goodbye to a star and a champion - to a young man who played the sport they love with distinction, a young man who made Jamaicans proud and whose life was snuffed out in tragic circumstances.
