This paper contends that domestic response to John F. Kennedy's assassination took two basic forms in the United States: active crisis management and retreat. According to the paper, while government, churches, and the media engaged in active crisis management, businesses and schools closed, and the public retreated to mourn rather than to contribute to the public dialogue over the assassination, becoming instead receivers of guidance. The paper discusses the American shutdown after the assassination and the mindset it created. It then examines the reaction of the sports world in relation to this pattern of retreat and withdrawal, focusing on the Illinois-Michigan State football game, a game which was finally postponed at the very last minute. Through this example, it is argued that while the schools sought to avoid controversy by following the national trend, they created other problems by their actions and justifications and contributed little to the healing of the nation. The paper concludes that had the game gone ahead as originally scheduled, rationalized with arguments based on tribute and emotions, the Illinois-Michigan State contest may have been played without the excessive controversy that accompanied it. Contains 48 references. (NKA)