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By the authority vested in them, leaders do not have the luxury of avoiding unpleasant topics.
As history demonstrates, advance preparation for the worst possible outcome is a fundamental principle of crisis management.
On the eve of the D-Day invasion of Normandy, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower crafted remarks that he would deliver if the Allied Forces were repelled.
"Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops," the Supreme Allied Commander wrote. "My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone."
Though considered a form of entertainment, professional sports are not shielded from the harsh realities of life, so stewards of the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB have each wisely and responsibly created their own emergency plan that would be activated after a catastrophic event, such as a plane crash.
When asked years ago about whether MLB had a disaster plan, a spokesman acknowledged that one existed and then added, "But God forbid it should ever be needed."
As one U.S.-based aviation safety expert stated, "statistically speaking, you're safer in your flight than you were driving in your car to the airport."
The International Air Transport Association's 2024 safety report calculated one accident for every 880,000 flights or seven fatal accidents out of 40.6 million flights.
Nevertheless, each professional sport's emergency plan ensures that in the aftermath of a catastrophic event, when stress clouds judgment and nerves are frayed, stability and order will prevail.
Considering the sheer volume of flights that professional sports teams have taken throughout the years, it is remarkable that only one plane in serious trouble has descended for landing without an airport in sight.
On Jan. 18, 1960, the Minneapolis Lakers were flying home after a game in St. Louis when the loss of instrumentation, electrical failure, low fuel and the effects of a blinding snowstorm necessitated a forced landing in an Iowa cornfield.
Had the plane advanced another 75 feet, it would have plunged down a steep gorge.
Unfortunately, sport in the U.S. has not been spared from catastrophe.
Lives were lost in plane crashes involving the U.S. Figure Skating team in 1961, Marshall University and Wichita State football teams in 1970, Evansville University basketball team in 1977, and Oklahoma State basketball team in 2001.
This past January, 14 members of the figure skating community were killed in a plane crash in Washington, D.C.
A little over a month before the launch of Apollo 11 in July 1969, NASA urged the White House to consider how it would respond in the event that the Lunar Module failed to lift off from the moon, stranding astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin.
The statement that was prepared for President Nixon began, "Fate has ordained that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace. These brave men, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, know that there is no hope for their recovery."
Like everyone else, executives of the major sports leagues always hope for the best.
The difference is that the executives have an obligation to plan for the worst.
Jim Caltagirone writes a monthly column for the Mirror.