One perspective of the Steelers at Giants game scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET in East Rutherford, N.J., is resources are scarce enough as it is, and with the already depleted number of emergency officials, having a football game with 60+ thousand people in attendance seems like a needless drain on all of those resources.
On the other, in wake of a disaster of immense proportions, having something under which victims can unite and work together to rebuild and forget has a tremendous amount of emotional significance.
The NFL made its decision to hold the game in wake of Superstorm Sandy ravaging the area, and it was a decision that needed to be made quickly. Logistical concerns over such a complex animal as the smooth operation of a live game are beyond comprehension, and considering the game is being held in the backyard of the league offices, it was somewhat surprising the game wasn't at least postponed until Monday.
Some may remember Hurricane Jeanne in 2004, when the Steelers game at the Miami Dolphins was postponed from a 1 p.m. kickoff time to 8:30 p.m. It seemed to affect the home team more, as the Dolphins turned the ball over on its first three possessions en route to a 13-3 Steelers win.
That storm, though, didn't cause nearly as much damage as Sandy did to the greater New York City area.
Perhaps a postponement until Monday would help alleviate some of the issues they're facing. Maybe it wouldn't have improved anything; it may only have caused more of a problem in terms of getting two teams traveling to an area not expecting to host a game that weekend.
Hosting the game in Pittsburgh would give the Steelers an advantage other teams do not enjoy - having nine home games. At the same time, the NFL had no issue moving the Saints to New York for their "home opener" after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
The Saints home stadium, the Superdome, was damaged in the storm, though, and all reports indicated MetLife Stadium wasn't.
It seems like the league adopted a policy of "when in doubt, play through it" in these instances, and whether the decision this year will ultimately be judged as a failure remains to be seen. However, there is still football in New York on Sunday.
Was it the right decision, though? Weigh in.