Kole Calhoun’s tragic face plant is the epitome of 2020

Kole Calhoun tried his best, but the tragic power of 2020 would not be denied.

It’s no secret that 2020 has been an absolutely brutal year for the United States of America. From the coronavirus pandemic ravaging the country, to police brutality and murder, to celebrity deaths that still sting like Kobe Bryant and Regis Philbin, the hits just keep on coming in this unforgiving year.

None of these serious tragedies is a laughing matter, but at some point, we’ve got to be able to take a step back and ease our minds and hearts with some much-needed comic relief.

To that end, poor Kole Calhoun’s epic face plant during Sunday night’s MLB action serves as the kind of unfortunate but comical representation of 2020. It’s not funny (seriously, that looked like it hurt), but it is kind of hilarious when viewed through the lens of being the perfect GIF to sum up this horrendous year that just won’t end:

Poor Kole Calhoun.

In all seriousness, we’re glad Calhoun’s okay after whiffing on his attempt to catch a fly ball and going face-first into the wall. That hurts a lot more than one would think, on top of the embarrassment of going all out for the fly ball only to injure himself.

But these days, laughter can be an effective tool for coping, if only because it means we’re not crying. Kole Calhoun’s face plant is the epitome of that sentiment, and the good news for him is, despite this embarrassing highlight, the Arizona Diamondbacks picked up the 4-3 win over the San Diego Padres.

We’re going to get through this year. We’re going to get our own 4-3 victories in the end. We just might have to sustain a few face plants before we get there. So thanks to Kole Calhoun for showing us it’s not the end of the world when it happens.