Perhaps I was wrong.

Maybe pro athletes can be heroes after all.

I think we all know who the real heroes have been this past week -- police, firefighters, Red Cross workers, volunteers (shoot, let's face it, after rebounding from what we witnessed last Tuesday, we're all heroes in our own way). Our red-faced nation has suddenly shaped up its hero-worshipping priorities, albeit after the fact.

But in light of the actions taken during the past week by hundreds of athletes in a wide range of sports, I'm changing my time-hardened stance. Sure, pro athletes are still about 25th on my list of potential heroes. But, hey, at least now they're on the list.

I watch the 49ers give blood, I watch the Colts hand out flags on the street, I watch the Jets and Giants support their hometown, I see the Mets and Phillies weeping during the National Anthem and the Cardinals waving the flag, I see Old Glory sewn onto jerseys and bases and hats and I think -- maybe, just maybe -- these guys are, for once, up to the task. Maybe now some of our incredibly privileged pro athletes are willing, even eager, to take on roles of leadership and healing and finally live up to the status we have bestowed upon them.

There is goodness and value in even the ugliest, most destructive events; we just have to look harder for it during these times. I keep hearing how sports will never be the same. Well, yeah, maybe it'll be better.

David Fleming is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail flemfile@aol.com.