You’re welcome, America.

The first instance occurred with the passing of former Penn State head coach Joe Paterno. As you recall, there was a 24-hour period replete with reports of his death and family denials. Official word of his passing hit the wire in the middle of our national show and immediately changed the tenor of the show. We had addressed the reporting side of the story, journalistic responsibility and such in the early portion of the show, but suddenly the talk turned to legacies, history and reignited the discussion about the Jerry Sandusky allegations.

This weekend, the world learned of the death of Whitney Houston. The blogosphere and Twitterverse ran amuck with discussions about the possible circumstances of her passing. Naturally, it became a hot topic of discussion on sports radio. While Houston obviously wasn’t a sports icon, we’re all well aware of the mash-up that occurs between sporting and pop culture at large in this medium.

We approached the topic by contrasting the outpouring of love and celebration of the lives of artists who succumbed to drugs and alcohol against the vitriol reserved for athletes. Our phone lines were chock-full for the entire show (thanks, Freak Nation), and that passionate fandom came through on-air.

The sense of community and, on some level, the “ownership” of sports teams within a city contributed to that separation.

• Movie stars and singers are held up as “the other,” “the elite.” You see them on the screen or stage, be it weekly or annually. They are set apart on red carpets and their lives dissected in the tabloids. The “sex, drugs and rock n’ roll” tag still applies and bleeds through all forms of media stardom.

• Sports stars belong to the community. Even in the face of the worst allegations and accusations, the hometown fans and beat writers staunchly support the accused. Think of the coverage of Joe Paterno and the volatility of that situation. Think back to Barry Bonds and the chase for home run glory. Ponder the careers of Doc Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, Ken Caminiti and the countless others tied to drugs (recreational or performance-enhancing). Do I need to remind you of the white-hot coverage of Tiger Woods from two years ago?

• There’s anger and a sense of being let down associated with sports. Part of your team failed to pull his weight and dragged down the collective, robbing you of a win or a playoff appearance or championship. You and your friends put your lives through the lenses of sports seasons. There’s an identity at stake. You may be a fan of a singer or band, an actor or actress, but it’s just not the same.

Houston’s death was a topic that consumed the media world coming out of the weekend, punctuated by the Grammy tributes on Sunday night. I saw the news on Saturday and then followed the explosion of heartfelt Twitter updates and citations from favorite songs. Occasionally, there was a derogatory comment related to Bobby Brown, the foray into reality television and discussions of her professional timeline.

I stopped and wondered, “Why does somebody have to die for the good memories to flow?” But, we do it in our own lives as well. Everyone has witnessed a strained family relationship with that dynamic was at play (uncles, aunts, grandparents and such). They don’t speak for months or years at a time over some perceived slight, but the vitriol melts away in death and suddenly the survivor is back to telling tales of schoolyard tomfoolery and good times of the past.

So, play your “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” “I Will Always Love You” and belt out “Greatest Love of All” with all of the power that you can muster. Just put the Twitter timelines and tributes into perspective. Strip away the money and the glam and recognize that the daily lives and struggles may not be so different.

1 John Kasay
2 Robbie Gould
3 David Akers
4 Dan Bailey
5 Mason Crosby
6 Neil Rackers
7 Sebastian Janikowski
8 Stephen Gostkowski
9 Jason Hanson
10 Billy Cundiff
11 Shaun Suisham
12 Nick Folk
13 Matt Bryant
14 Rob Bironas
15 Nick Novak
16 Lawrence Tynes
17 Stephen Hauschka
18 Olindo Mare
19 Mike Nugent
20 Dan Carpenter
21 Matt Prater
22 Alex Henery
23 Ryan Longwell
24 Graham Gano
25 Josh Scobee

1 Rob Gronkowski
2 Jimmy Graham
3 Tony Gonzalez
4 Jermichael Finley
5 Antonio Gates
6 Jason Witten
7 Vernon Davis
8 Dustin Keller
9 Brent Celek
10 Aaron Hernandez
11 Kellen Winslow
12 Greg Olsen
13 Jermaine Gresham
14 Heath Miller
15 Jake Ballard
16 Owen Daniels
17 Brandon Pettigrew
18 Anthony Fasano
19 Ed Dickson
20 Joel Dreessen
21 Dallas Clark
22 Tony Scheffler
23 Jared Cook
24 Visanthe Shiancoe
25 Kellen Davis
26 Marcedes Lewis
27 Jacob Tamme

1 Calvin Johnson
2 Greg Jennings
3 Wes Welker
4 Roddy White
5 Victor Cruz
6 Steve Smith
7 Hakeem Nicks
8 Percy Harvin
9 A.J. Green
10 Vincent Jackson
11 Mike Wallace
12 Stevie Johnson
13 Jordy Nelson
14 Anquan Boldin
15 Larry Fitzgerald
16 Brandon Marshall
17 Dez Bryant
18 Marques Colston
19 Jeremy Maclin
20 Miles Austin
21 Laurent Robinson
22 Santana Moss
23 Julio Jones
24 Michael Crabtree
25 Antonio Brown
26 Mike Williams
27 Santonio Holmes
28 DeSean Jackson
29 Pierre Garcon
30 Dwayne Bowe
31 Torrey Smith
32 Brandon Lloyd
33 Plaxico Burress
34 Lance Moore
35 Malcom Floyd
36 Deion Branch
37 Johnny Knox
38 Eric Decker
39 James Jones
40 Damian Williams
41 Golden Tate
42 Jacoby Jones
43 Reggie Wayne
44 Brad Smith
45 Riley Cooper
46 Nate Burleson
47 Doug Baldwin
48 Demaryius Thomas
49 Jabar Gaffney
50 Robert Meachem
51 Jason Avant
52 Earl Bennett
53 Harry Douglas
54 Devin Aromashodu
55 David Nelson
56 Preston Parker
57 Chaz Schilens
58 Hines Ward
59 Brandon Gibson
60 Steve Breaston
61 Cecil Shorts
62 Nate Washington
63 Legedu Naanee
64 Andre Roberts
65 Ben Obomanu
66 Greg Little
67 Vincent Brown
68 Brandon LaFell
69 Darrius Heyward-Bey
70 Titus Young
71 Jerome Simpson
72 Davone Bess
73 Eddie Royal
74 Early Doucet
75 Austin Pettis

1 Aaron Rodgers vs. OAK
2 Drew Brees at TEN
3 Tom Brady at WAS
4 Cam Newton vs. ATL
5 Matthew Stafford vs. MIN
6 Eli Manning at DAL
7 Tony Romo vs. NYG
8 Philip Rivers vs. BUF
9 Carson Palmer at GB
10 Michael Vick at MIA
11 Ben Roethlisberger vs. CLE
12 Matt Moore vs. PHI
13 Tim Tebow vs. CHI
14 Matt Ryan at CAR
15 Joe Flacco vs. IND
16 Ryan Fitzpatrick at SD
17 Rex Grossman vs. NE
18 Josh Freeman at JAC
19 Christian Ponder at DET
20 Matt Hasselbeck vs. NO
21 Mark Sanchez vs. KC
22 Alex Smith at ARI
23 TJ Yates at CIN
24 Caleb Hanie at DEN
25 Dan Orlovsky at BAL
26 Kevin Kolb vs. SF
27 Andy Dalton vs. HOU
28 Tarvaris Jackson vs. STL
29 Colt McCoy at PIT
30 Tyler Palko at NYJ
31 Blaine Gabbert vs. TB
32 Tom Brandstater at SEA

1 Mason Crosby
2 David Akers
3 Dan Bailey
4 John Kasay
5 Sebastian Janikowski
6 Matt Bryant
7 Robbie Gould
8 Neil Rackers
9 Jason Hanson
10 Nick Novak
11 Billy Cundiff
12 Shaun Suisham
13 Stephen Gostkowski
14 Mike Nugent
15 Olindo Mare
16 Lawrence Tynes
17 Alex Henery
18 Nick Folk
19 Matt Prater
20 Stephen Hauschka
21 Ryan Longwell
22 Josh Brown
23 Rob Bironas
24 Shayne Graham
25 Connor Barth
26 Josh Scobee
27 Phil Dawson
28 Jay Feely
29 Ryan Succop

1 Rob Gronkowski
2 Jimmy Graham
3 Jason Witten
4 Antonio Gates
5 Tony Gonzalez
6 Jermichael Finley
7 Owen Daniels
8 Brandon Pettigrew
9 Fred Davis
10 Aaron Hernandez
11 Vernon Davis
12 Brent Celek
13 Greg Olsen
14 Kellen Winslow
15 Jake Ballard
16 Jermaine Gresham
17 Anthony Fasano
18 Dustin Keller
19 Heath Miller
20 Jacob Tamme
21 Ed Dickson
22 Scott Chandler
23 Jared Cook
24 Joel Dreessen
25 Visanthe Shiancoe
26 Marcedes Lewis

1 Calvin Johnson
2 Andre Johnson
3 Mike Wallace
4 Steve Smith (CAR)
5 Wes Welker
6 Jordy Nelson
7 Dez Bryant
8 Roddy White
9 Greg Jennings
10 Larry Fitzgerald
11 Vincent Jackson
12 Hakeem Nicks
13 Marques Colston
14 DeSean Jackson
15 Santonio Holmes
16 Victor Cruz
17 Brandon Lloyd
18 Brandon Marshall
19 Laurent Robinson
20 Percy Harvin
21. A.J. Green
22 Anquan Boldin
23 Antonio Brown
24 Sidney Rice
25 Plaxico Burress
26 Dwayne Bowe
27 Michael Crabtree
28 Torrey Smith
29 Mario Manningham
30 Lance Moore
31 Nate Washington
32 Eric Decker
33 Mike Williams
34 Reggie Wayne
35 Vincent Brown
36 Riley Cooper
37 Earl Bennett
38 Stevie Johnson
39. Santana Moss
40. Jabar Gaffney
41. Nate Burleson
42. James Jones
43 Greg Little
44 Jacoby Jones
45 Jerome Simpson
46 Early Doucet
47 Deion Branch
48 Steve Breaston
49 Damian Williams
50 Robert Meachem
51 Pierre Garcon
52 Michael Jenkins
53 Legedu Naanee
54 Harry Douglas
55 Davone Bess
56 Titus Young
57 Preston Parker
58 Andre Caldwell
59 Johnny Knox
60 Chaz Schilens
61 Jason Avant
62 Austin Collie
63 David Nelson
64 Roy Williams
65 Arrelious Benn
66 Jonathan Baldwin
67 Eddie Royal
68 Ben Obomanu
69 Mike Williams

1 Calvin Johnson
2 Greg Jennings
3 Brandon Marshall
4 Steve Smith
5 Larry Fitzgerald
6 Wes Welker
7 Jordy Nelson
8 Roddy White
9 Vincent Jackson
10 Dez Bryant
11 Hakeem Nicks
12 Denarius Moore
13 Dwayne Bowe
14 Victor Cruz
15 Laurent Robinson
16 Anquan Boldin
17 Brandon Lloyd
18 Earl Bennett
19 DeSean Jackson
20 Michael Crabree
21 Mario Manningham
22 Sidney Rice
23 Stevie Johnson
24 Jerome Simpson
25 Deion Branch
26 Percy Harvin
27 Damian Williams
28 Vincent Brown
29 Jason Avant
30 James Jones
31 Early Doucet
32 Greg Little
33 Harry Douglas
34 Michael Jenkins
35 Torrey Smith
36 Steve Smith (PHI)
37 Mike Williams (TB)
38 David Nelson
39 Jabar Gaffney
40 Steve Breaston
41 Preston Parker
42 Jonathan Baldwin
43 Nate Washington
44 Donald Jones
45 Andre Caldwell
46 Davone Bess
47 Darrius Heyward-Bey
48 Titus Young
49 Johnny Knox
50 Brandon LaFell
51 Chad Ochocinco
52 Ben Obomanu
53 Braylon Edwards
54 Roy Williams
55 Mike Thomas
56 Arrelious Benn
57 Josh Cribbs