Ya’ know? I’m just a guy. A sports fan too.
When any of the pro sports leagues decided to try wrapping their heads around ‘how’ they might make it work? I got no satisfaction in saying ‘that’s not gonna’ work’.
And as much as I enjoyed the actual distraction of watching live MLB baseball this weekend?
It just can’t work. Too much close-encountering in batting, holding runners at 1B. Not to mention dugouts and locker rooms. It’s always been a lottery proposition ‘for it all to go right’.
It won’t work for the NBA in Disney’s bubble either. Too many bodies in too close of a proximity.
Seems soccer is the only major sport that has successfully been able to make it work. At least in Europe they have.
The Marlins played my home-town Phillies in a 3-game series, just as the Marlins players / coaches tested positive. I’ll betcha the entire Phillies team now tests positive.
And so it goes in Trump’s WINNING strategy against the virus.
Because the countries got the virus overall at a level of control. Nothing to do with the sport itself, it’s that they’re that much less likely to get it anyways, so that plus some precaution makes the success story.
It was an illusion that we could do that here. Even in a bubble, you’re still not 100% isolated, and with possibly tens of millions of cases out there, you’re going to run into people who have it.
And my Yankees are in Philly tonight and tomorrow and then hosting them in NY.
I don’t mind the pros giving it a shot, though things aren’t looking good. They’re paid fortunes and can opt out if they choose. But to try to play college football is just insane and exploitive of the players, most of whom get a scholarship and a “good luck” after 4 years…
The Clippers’ Lou Williams did not test positive for Covid-19 after going to a strip club. It is, however, forcing him to do another 10-day quarantine before rejoining his team.
What has me concerned is not that they are trying to make it work, but that they are spending tons of money and following all the best advice they can find to make it work and it just isn’t happening.
Now translate the failing efforts of your favorite professional team/league with the best medical advice and equipment money can buy to your local school district. It just isn’t going to work.
Or even colleges, whether you’re talking classes or sports. The students will have parties. They haven’t stopped underage drinking in 30 years of trying and they won’t be able to stop parties either. Athletes will attend them. Schools might be able to open in the Northeast, as long as positive rates stay at 1% or so. But in places where it’s 15 or 20%, it’s out of the question.
Upton Sinclair said, “One of the hardest things is to teach a man that something is true when his salary depends on it not being true.” That’s most of the explanation for re-starting pro sports, and for much of “re-opening” generally.
I’m stuck-- considering an array of responses.
If you followed this pandemic as closely as say, the audience here at TPM? You might have an ability to discern where or when it might be safe/safer to travel or visit a place. Between peaks, plateaus, and hotspots-- there could be a less-dangerous plan considered.
But visiting Disney World in Orlando? Not even to write an article about it.
The NFL might not make it to the regular season. But if it does play some games, and then shuts down after entire teams are infected, Trump will tweet something like, "The low-ratings NFL had to cancel their season because NOBODY WAS WATCHING!!! The covid scam was just an excuse to cover for the fact that PATRIOTIC AMERICANS don’t want to see sons of bitches on their knees disrespecting our great NATIONAL ANTHEM and our brave troops, who are making American cities safe again from antifa and rioting moms!!! #MAGA
Only Trump’s mental illness is protecting him at this point from this fear. Outside of his Kult, he is hated with unbridled intensity.
Your posts have always been measured and reasonable. This is the Home Stretch–in which every toy in his toy-chest is going to be activated. We are going to have to have every American with a measured and rational outlook to combat multiple surprises every week, every day, every hour.
