The Case for Sports to Resume

[GannonFan]

I know it seems crass in a time where thousands are dying worldwide every day and millions of people are pushed into unemployment and may not know where the next meal is coming from, but I'd argue that rather than shuttering sports (and I'm just talking pro sports right now, college sports and high school sports are way to large to consider this) is not the right thing to do and, rather, we should be trying to get them to resume.

With that said, let me also be the first to say that I hate the sanctimonious pronouncements by pro athletes that "now is not the time" crap, like what they said in the weeks after 9/11. Just like then, I and millions of others trudge off to work everyday, some at home but still many of us driving to and from work every day, so the vast majority of people are still working and still doing their jobs during these days, even with the infected and death tolls rising. So if we can work 40 hours a week and more, why are pro athletes above working too?

To make this work, though, it's still going to be sports without fans in the building. I think we can manage teams and reduced support staffs and reduced media, but there's no way to be able to control tens of thousands of fans. For this to work, and let's use the NBA, I'll riff off of the SI article they had today... https://www.si.com/nba/2020/04/02/nba-e ... oronavirus - for the NBA, it would have to be a playoff format and it would have to be all in one place - SI uses Las Vegas so lets go with that. That would mean that 16 teams would need to set up camp in Vegas. To get around the issue of knowing if anyone's infected, you'd have to get them there something like 2 weeks prior, have them tested before they get there, keep them isolated wherever you have them set up camp, and test them again. Once you establish that no one is infected, it should be straight forward to keep it that way - you're not bringing people in an out of the closed off environment so that would work. And then you play in one venue, or two, and you pretty much play the playoffs as they would be based on the standings as of today.

To me, I see the value in having some "normal" things continue even in these unnormal times. I've actually enjoyed getting to stop reading about the pandemic to every now and then getting to read about the NFL free agency period. Heck, I've read more mock drafts this year than I probably have in all my life combined up to this point. It's what sports are supposed to be - a relief from everyday stuff. So if I got to look forward to a month of NBA playoffs, albeit all in the confines of Las Vegas compound where the teams are isolated and there are no fans, I would like that. Hockey could do that too - maybe find a spot in Canada to hunker down in and play all the games there. I think it could be done.

[93henfan]

The problem, ESPECIALLY with basketball, is physical contact. You can test the whole NBA, start games, then one dude gets it from community spread, and BOOM, you're shut down again and wasted immense resources starting back up for a few games.

The NFL Draft will indeed be a welcome respite from this. Can't wait (to watch Howie whiff on another WR pick).

[GannonFan]

The problem, ESPECIALLY with basketball, is physical contact. You can test the whole NBA, start games, then one dude gets it from community spread, and BOOM, you're shut down again and wasted immense resources starting back up for a few games.

That's why they have to be in a bubble. Basically the Big Brother concept from that show - once they get there, you seal off contact between them and anyone not in the bubble, for the duration of the tournament. You make it pretty posh (they are still millionaires and are used to posh) but you make it so that they can't go out and other folks can't come in. And that incudes reporters and support staff and their families if they want them there. You could even open it up to a lottery for fans that want to be included in the bubble experience so that you get some fans in the building.

[93henfan]

The problem, ESPECIALLY with basketball, is physical contact. You can test the whole NBA, start games, then one dude gets it from community spread, and BOOM, you're shut down again and wasted immense resources starting back up for a few games.

That's why they have to be in a bubble. Basically the Big Brother concept from that show - once they get there, you seal off contact between them and anyone not in the bubble, for the duration of the tournament. You make it pretty posh (they are still millionaires and are used to posh) but you make it so that they can't go out and other folks can't come in. And that incudes reporters and support staff and their families if they want them there. You could even open it up to a lottery for fans that want to be included in the bubble experience so that you get some fans in the building.

They'll be sneaking in white women. You can't stop that shit.

[Ivytalk]

Ganny, don’t you have some history reading to catch up on? Might help reduce the sense of loss.

[GannonFan]

Ganny, don’t you have some history reading to catch up on? Might help reduce the sense of loss.

I'm a Renaissance man, I can do it all. Heck, we got puppies early in the week when they shut down everything later in the week - the wife and kids have gotten to be quarantined with two of the cutest puppies for the past few weeks. And I've gotten more projects done around the house than I have in the past few years combined. We might get mulch this weekend and finish that too (normally finish that around July 4th). Still, with all of that, it would be nice to come home from work and be able to flip on a playoff game or two. My list of Netflix/HBO/Amazon movies/series isn't infinite.

Note, I actually am reading Doris Kearns Goodwin's book "Leadership in Turbulent Times" - (couldn't have picked a better time for this) but I'm getting the gist there's nothing new in there, just left over bits she had from her earlier writings about Lincoln, Teddy, FDR, and LBJ. It's like author recycling.

[Ivytalk]

Ganny, don’t you have some history reading to catch up on? Might help reduce the sense of loss.

I'm a Renaissance man, I can do it all. Heck, we got puppies early in the week when they shut down everything later in the week - the wife and kids have gotten to be quarantined with two of the cutest puppies for the past few weeks. And I've gotten more projects done around the house than I have in the past few years combined. We might get mulch this weekend and finish that too (normally finish that around July 4th). Still, with all of that, it would be nice to come home from work and be able to flip on a playoff game or two. My list of Netflix/HBO/Amazon movies/series isn't infinite.

Note, I actually am reading Doris Kearns Goodwin's book "Leadership in Turbulent Times" - (couldn't have picked a better time for this) but I'm getting the gist there's nothing new in there, just left over bits she had from her earlier writings about Lincoln, Teddy, FDR, and LBJ. It's like author recycling.

Get Doris to tell you about the time that LBJ propositioned her.

[Gil Dobie]

I hope we learned a lesson from Italy. We can wait for sports, when it's safe for the country.

CBS Sports Link

The coronavirus is now sweeping across the United States. But before the outbreak grew here, Italy was the epicenter for the respiratory disease in Europe. According to the Associated Press, a Champions League match between Atalanta and Valencia in February may have been the reason why the virus spread so rapidly in the country. Atalanta hosted the Spanish team on Feb. 19 in Milan.

The match is being called "Game Zero" because it was played just two days before the first positive case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Italy. The head of pulmonology at a Bergamo hospital, which is outside of Milan and the usual home of Atalanta, recently described the Champions League match as "a biological bomb." There were also about 2,500 Valencia fans in the stands for the match, and 35 percent of Valencia's team tested positive for the coronavirus a few weeks later.

[GannonFan]

As I said, it can be done without fans and without chances of causing widespread transmission (actually, if you do it right, there's zero chance for transmission). The example from Italy is what happened prior to enough knowledge of who could be carrying it without even knowing it.

[Gil Dobie]

As I said, it can be done without fans and without chances of causing widespread transmission (actually, if you do it right, there's zero chance for transmission). The example from Italy is what happened prior to enough knowledge of who could be carrying it without even knowing it.

That would be worth a try.

[kalm]

Agree that the value is needed but it’s a bad idea. We still don’t know enough about the bug.

You’d be attempting to sequester thousands of people from refs to camera crews to training staff. Are you going to test hospitality staff, food and beverage, janitorial? Just a couple of idiots ( as 93 pointed out, it’s the NBA ) and you have wildfire status. I think I posted the thread about the church choir of 60 people in Mt Vernon, WA that decided to practice on March 10th. No one had symptoms. 45 got it and 2 are dead as of last week.

I’m sure the NBA and other sports are looking into it but won’t happen at least until 1) each state has crested and is down to a manageable curve, 2) reliable testing is readily available to all the public and false negatives can be explained, and 3) you then still probably wait until successful anti virals are here.

That’s gonna be mid summer at the earliest and also explains why baseball and football are jeopardized.

[SuperHornet]

I agree, ESPECIALLY on the lower levels. The NCAA is getting a lot of press for their decision to essentially grant a free redshirt to all spring athletes this year, what seems to be forgotten in all this is the fact that it doesn't work like that at the HS level. Seniors are for all intents and purposes screwed. Not only have they lost their prom and their season, they're ALSO losing their graduation. (Sure, SOME districts are officially moving to August, but realistically, assuming the mess has blown over by then, how many of them will be around for the ceremony? Many colleges have orientation, if not actual classes, by then.) There's also the issue of districts moving to distance learning, which screws every student without Internet access.

We have seriously messed over our kids with our overreaction to this mess. SMH....

[AshevilleApp]

I'm not sure where to put this and don't want to start another thread. But do you think that sports will regain the importance in people's lives that it did prior to the virus? It has truly sucked, but I've gotten through losing the NCAA Basketball Tournament, Frozen Four and the beginning of MLB. I'm not as rabid as some, but still consider myself a pretty big sports fan. What will happen with all the people who aren't big fans?

[SDHornet]

I'm not sure where to put this and don't want to start another thread. But do you think that sports will regain the importance in people's lives that it did prior to the virus? It has truly sucked, but I've gotten through losing the NCAA Basketball Tournament, Frozen Four and the beginning of MLB. I'm not as rabid as some, but still consider myself a pretty big sports fan. What will happen with all the people who aren't big fans?

Naw, they'll come back so long as it remains accessible. People need an escape, and being stuck in a house with your annoying family only reinforces the need for that escape.

[Ivytalk]

I'm not sure where to put this and don't want to start another thread. But do you think that sports will regain the importance in people's lives that it did prior to the virus? It has truly sucked, but I've gotten through losing the NCAA Basketball Tournament, Frozen Four and the beginning of MLB. I'm not as rabid as some, but still consider myself a pretty big sports fan. What will happen with all the people who aren't big fans?

I thought I was a YUUGE sports fan. Now, I’m not so sure. So far, I’ve missed it less than I thought. But I was never much of a hoops or hockey fan anyway. FB and baseball are my top two.

[AshevilleApp]

I'm not sure where to put this and don't want to start another thread. But do you think that sports will regain the importance in people's lives that it did prior to the virus? It has truly sucked, but I've gotten through losing the NCAA Basketball Tournament, Frozen Four and the beginning of MLB. I'm not as rabid as some, but still consider myself a pretty big sports fan. What will happen with all the people who aren't big fans?

I thought I was a YUUGE sports fan. Now, I’m not so sure. So far, I’ve missed it less than I thought. But I was never much of a hoops or hockey fan anyway. FB and baseball are my top two.

I may be less bothered because my teams are all down right now anyway. If this had happened in 2012 or 2013 when the Tigers were competitive, I'm sure it would bother me more. And I think there will be a baseball season of sorts anyway. Hockey is the same way. The Red Wings sucked this season. (I mentioned the Frozen Four and I really enjoy that, but should have said Stanley Cup playoffs. My bad.) A big test will be if college football gets interrupted, since I've usually set my Saturday's around watching or listening to it. NFL? Not so much.

[GannonFan]

I'm not sure where to put this and don't want to start another thread. But do you think that sports will regain the importance in people's lives that it did prior to the virus? It has truly sucked, but I've gotten through losing the NCAA Basketball Tournament, Frozen Four and the beginning of MLB. I'm not as rabid as some, but still consider myself a pretty big sports fan. What will happen with all the people who aren't big fans?

I thought I was a YUUGE sports fan. Now, I’m not so sure. So far, I’ve missed it less than I thought. But I was never much of a hoops or hockey fan anyway. FB and baseball are my top two.

As each day goes by, especially with me driving to and from work everyday, and I hear these sports guys are just unable to work because it's too dangerous, I start to care less and less about pro sports. I felt that way after 9/11 with baseball guys like Mark McGwire preaching about when it would be the "right" time to go back to work (for me, I went back to work on 9/12, and then 9/13, and so on). Heck, I just read somewhere that Jayson Tatum hasn't even picked up a basketball since they've been off (so he's gone a whole month without touching a basketball) and then if they do come back, they're going to need a good month or so of preseason just to be able to play again. Screw that, I say let's focus on getting the kids back to playing sports (little league baseball for instance) and the pros can just continue to play NBA 2k against each other from the comforts of their mansions as they contemplate the right time to re-enter the world and when it's safe for all of us to come out again (obviously, except for 80% of the workforce who's still working).

[93henfan]

PGA tour will resume on June 8th without fans.

[SDHornet]

PGA tour will resume on June 8th without fans.

Can you imagine the gambling action on that first event? Wow, I imagine a sports book (assuming they open too) to be like the floor of the NYSE.

[93henfan]

PGA tour will resume on June 8th without fans.

Can you imagine the gambling action on that first event? Wow, I imagine a sports book (assuming they open too) to be like the floor of the NYSE.

Hah, no doubt. Hadn't thought of that part.

[CAA Flagship]

PGA tour will resume on June 8th without fans.

Can you imagine the gambling action on that first event? Wow, I imagine a sports book (assuming they open too) to be like the floor of the NYSE.

"Webb Simpson is 5 under on the front nine......."

[93henfan]

Hells yes. I read a little bit more. They're talking about doing The Masters in November. Looks like the only lost major will be the 2020 Open Championship.

June 11-14: Charles Schwab Challenge
June 18-21: RBC Heritage
June 25-28: Travelers Championship
July 2-5: Rocket Mortgage Classic
July 9-12: John Deere Classic
July 16-19: The Memorial Tournament
July 23-26: 3M Open
July 29-Aug. 2: WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational
July 29-Aug. 2: Barracuda Championship
Aug. 6-9: PGA Championship
Aug. 13-16: Wyndham Championship
Aug. 20-23: The Northern Trust
Aug. 27-30: BMW Championship
Sept. 4-7: Tour Championship
Sept. 10-13: Safeway Open
Sept. 17-20: U.S. Open
Sept. 24-27: Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship
Sept. 25-27: Ryder Cup
Oct. 1-4: Sanderson Farms Championship
Oct. 8-11: Shriners Hospitals for Children Open
Oct. 15-18: CJ Cup
Oct. 22-25: Zozo Championship
Oct. 29-Nov. 1: WGC-HSBC Champions
Oct. 29-Nov. 1: Bermuda Championship
Nov. 5-8: Houston Open
Nov. 12-15: Masters
Nov. 19-22: RSM Classic
Dec. 3-6: Mayakoba Golf Classic

[Col Hogan]

Sports is not essential...

Once we establish the new normal, the over-paid non-essential sports folks can restart...

[ALPHAGRIZ1]

Sports is not essential...

Once we establish the new normal, the over-paid non-essential sports folks can restart...

Agreed

All sports should shut down for about 5 years to let people get back to real life and what really matters. Over paid prima donna bitches do not matter, that needs to be the "new normal"

[UNI88]

College football has to resume in the fall! Otherwise thousands of NDSU fans in the greater Fargo/Morehead metropolitan area and beyond commit suicide as their sense of self-worth plummets without the success of the Bison to justify their existence.