Why sports restarts have a big problem on their hands

With the return of sports along the horizon, a painful reality is among us as well.

It’s been about three months since the sports world came to a halt, starting with the NBA when they suspended their season due to the global pandemic that is COVID-19. Since then, other leagues have followed suit except for sports leagues like UFC, Top Rank Boxing, and some golf tours that don’t rely on a lot of manpower to operate. Now we blissfully wait for the return of other sports, primarily the three main leagues, the NBA, NFL, and MLB to return. The NBA already has their plan in motion with an expected return to action on July 30th in the bubble in Orlando at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports. Meeting them there earlier in July will be MLS, and MLB owners have just recently decided on a 60-game baseball season that will start mid-July as well. The NFL is the only major league that hasn’t really announced their plans and they have been ignorantly going on as business per usual.

Now getting to the problem. As I mentioned before, leagues are already in the process of restarting or beginning their seasons. Since the announcements of sports return these past couples of weeks, testing for these athletes has ramped up and with that more confirmed cases. Last week we got stars like Ezekiel Elliot, Nikola Jokić, and Novak Djokovic from tennis that have tested positive for the virus. Along with them, a slue of other athletes in other sports like tennis, baseball, and some college sports have contracted the virus. And still, these leagues plan on going along with their plans knowing the ramifications of their actions and the thousands of people they can put at risk. The WWE recently had multiple reports about dozens of crew and performers testing positive at their Performance Center and they still plan on operating there and putting on shows.

What will we do as fans if in the middle of the NBA Playoffs a star player like LeBron James, James Harden, or a Giannis tests positive for the virus and can no longer compete? You cant no longer make the argument that they are replaceable like some of the role players in the league that has opted out for the return because they are their team’s engine. What if a team’s whole receiving room in the NFL gets the virus and you end up possibly losing up to eight players or a case where you lose your starting QB like a Tom Brady? These are the things that leagues and fans have blatantly ignored for too long as we draw closer to these key sports dates. We know as the public the primary motivation for these returns is all money that can be lost if sports don’t play in 2020, but is that worth more than these athletes’ lives and their families’ lives that are at stake? The optics itself just look bad at every angle you turn to.

If you think I'm being too hard or pessimistic, take a look at the guidelines the NBA has laid out for their return. In a state in Florida were confirmed cases are rising rapidly, the crew members that are to be on-site can come and leave the bubble as they wish. Though the NBA has said that these people will not be in the same room as the athletes, we know by now how easy the virus can spread.

Photo per CNN.com

Dr. Anthony Fucci who has been the voice of reason to listen to regarding sports returns and has been talking with the sports leagues has said that the NFL can only be played in a bubble if they are going to do their season. It seems easy right, but what’s not talked about much is that there is a great chance COVID hits our country hard again, a second wave, in the Fall when the NFL season will be going. Having hundreds of players all gathered in one space will surely draw the virus and possibly end up canceling the season altogether.

I’m not going on this rant because I don’t want sports to return. It’s very much the opposite as I selfishly miss the entertainment and distraction that sports have provided us for many years. Not only are we going through a pandemic, but we are also going through a civil movement in our country and all the attention should be on the rising COVID cases and how can we further inspire change for our country.