DON'T DO IT — The Weekly Opine

Sorry, the winning play is to cancel sports for the remainder of 2020. (Photo credit The Weekly Opine)

Let the games not begin

The NBA, led by Commissioner Adam Silver and star players LeBron James and Steph Curry, is the most progressive professional sports league. The League, as young fellas call it, has its pulse on cultural, social, and political issues like few organizations do.

The NBA is cool without trying to be cool. More cool than Amazon, Apple, the NFL, Netflix and many other brands, sports or otherwise. NBA players, and rap music artists, are leading ingredients that create America’s hippest culture.

So, it was no surprise the NBA was first to suspend games, on March 11, and then suspended their season. The NBA was out front, identifying social relevance in the form of doing right by its players and fans.

Other sports came along and for weeks now, there have been no games. No live sports. Just reruns. On which date the games begin again is anybody’s guess, although golf now claims they will play tournaments in June. Here is a brief rundown of where sports stand (subject to change):

· NBA: season suspended indefinitely

· NHL: season suspended indefinitely

· MLB: opening day delayed until at least mid-May

· MLS: season suspended until at least May 10

· NFL: draft on April 23-25; virtual organized team activities in May

· PGA: just announced the tour begins mid-to-late-June

· NCAA: spring sports schedule cancelled

· NASCAR: schedule suspended until at least May 9

· Indy 500: moved from Memorial Weekend to August 23

· WTA/ATP: suspended through at least July 13; Wimbledon canceled

Wrigley likely will not be packed in 2020. (Photo credit The Weekly Opine)

Of mice and men

The leagues are making plans but have not submitted full details. Right now, there are a whole bunch of fingers crossed.

Over at the NBA, Commissioner Silver says an answer will not come before May 1, regarding re-starting the season. If the season does continue, players would be allowed 11 days of individual workouts, followed by two weeks of team practices. At best, the season could begin anew around June 1st. Say what?

Major League Baseball has “numerous contingency plans.” They considered housing players in hotels for months and playing all games at Arizona spring training facilities. MLB has considered realigning the teams. Those who hold spring training in Arizona would play games amongst each other and those who hold spring training in Florida would do the same. No details for either idea have been put forth.

Yesterday MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said no games until “health clearance” has been given. Manfred said baseball wants to be “part of the economic recovery.” However, the notion that baseball will re-start in May appears very unlikely.

NASCAR has brilliantly used the esports platform to run virtual races through iRacing simulation, setting esports audience records in the process. However, appalling use of the N-word by NASCAR racer Kyle Larson resurrected “good ‘ol boy” stereotypes, at least temporarily overshadowing NASCAR’s iRacing success story.

Tuesday, the Professional Golf Association committed to re-starting their season. Initial reporting said June 11. And hour later reports said June 25. The PGA statement implied some tournaments would have fans on-site, while other tournaments would not permit fans. A bit confusing, like a Trump press conference (he has total authority to open things up one day, the next day it’s up to governors).

‘Tailgating’ at the crib before watching games on TV will be in vogue this year. (Photo credit The Weekly Opine)

Slow your roll

Regarding opening things up, everybody’s main man, Doc Fauci, says “we are not there yet” and cautions that opening too soon could create a surge in outbreaks in areas that are stabilized. (Business leaders recently told Trump: more testing before reopening.) Dr. Fauci told Snapchat you can only start the games if “nobody comes to the stadium.”

The wish here is the NBA again takes the lead by announcing no more basketball in 2020. Kaput, nothing. Start next season sometime in 2021. Consider opening with the NBA All-Star game in Los Angeles, with fans voting in the players they missed the most. Why L.A.? The weather is swell, and California mirrors the NBA as a social and cultural bellwether.

If leagues decide to ramp up and play in 2020, will fans show up? Within the sports industry, management acknowledge the only way to quickly return the games probably means a fan-less environment.

An online poll by CivicScience revealed 26% of fans believed sports seasons should be canceled altogether. The poll was conducted March 10-16, prior to the pandemic ramping up to what can accurately be described as chaos in the U.S.

A poll last week, by Seton Hall University’s Stillman School of Business, shows 72% of Americans said they would not attend sporting events until there is a coronavirus vaccine. Another poll showed 46% say the NFL should not open in September (36% are OK with the NFL starting in September).

Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, an advisor to the Obama administration, takes a hardline approach telling ABC News the government needs an 18-month plan. He says we must remain on lockdown for 12-18 months, until there is a vaccine. Emanuel told The New Yorker Magazine that large events, such as concerts and sporting events, should not plan on taking place until fall of 2021. Let that sink in.

Eerie silence during live Monday Night Raw broadcast. (Photo credit USA Network screenshot)

Sans fans

Consider the world’s largest single day sporting event. Will 300,000 fans attend the Indy 500 in August? Doubtful. If Indianapolis has stabilized, why would city officials forge ahead with their biggest annual event - and risk infecting a large swath of the population? A packed Wrigleyville this summer on Chicago Cubs game day? Should not happen according to Fauci and Emanuel.

World Wrestling Entertainment recently replaced taped shows with live in-arena shows, without fans in attendance. I checked out a few minutes of WWE Monday Night Raw this week. The only people in the arena were cameramen, three announcers and a sideline reporter. It was bizarre. And it was evident the performers lacked the juice, er, energy that a packed arena provides. The word workmanlike was never more apropos.

There was palpable silence as the performers did acrobatic moves that normally elicit a roar from the crowd. Instead, the arena was still.

How about seeing Giannis “The Greek Freak” Antetokounmpo throw down a monster dunk and there is no cheering? Watching at home, fans also feed off the in-arena crowd. Would zippo crowd noise interfere with your emotional connection to the game? Or do TV ratings go through the roof? What about the athletes? Can they properly get psyched to perform at the highest level, without the energy boost of in-arena fans?

When stadiums do re-open to fans, will fans be OK having their temperature checked entering and leaving the arena? What if someone sneezes in the concession line? Will fans conclude it is best to stay home and watch on TV?

At least in L.A., the games could be shelved until next year. Mayor Eric Garcetti says he may prohibit concerts and sporting events until 2021.

The Weekly Opine command center/newsroom. (Photo credit The Weekly Opine)

A note from the publisher

The Weekly Opine strives to present a balance of politics, sports, and current events. One challenge of posting weekly is deciding what topic to cover. Occasionally, a category/topic is unavoidable, such as the most current of events, the coronavirus. It would be journalistic negligence to skip the pandemic in favor of gardening tips or advice how to improve your golf swing.

Sometimes, an event occurs that, under normal circumstances, I would write about. Bernie Sanders dropping out of the primary is an example. But COVID-19 is such a dominant, fast-paced story I could not fit Bernie Sanders in last week. That is where social media plays a role. Follow The Weekly Opine on Twitter (@TheWeeklyOpine) and Instagram (TheWeeklyOpine) to read commentary about trending topics that are not covered in Thursday’s blog post.

Bernie Babies

Speaking of the primary, The Weekly Opine endorsed Sanders. However, it is time to support Joe Biden. If you view Biden as unsteady and lacking conviction, then find inspiration in the urgency to get rid of Trump. If you do not ‘get’ Biden’s slogan (“Return to normalcy”) that is OK. But you must ‘get’ the urgency to defeat Trump.

I exhort Bernie supporters who are still whimpering to stop it. Do you want four more years of Trump’s madness? Also, to his credit, Biden is nodding toward key elements of Bernie’s platform. Lowering the Medicare qualifying age to 60 years old and forgiving student loan debt for low income and middle-class families are solid starting points. Put your hankies away Bernie Bros and get with the program.

Conversely, moderate Dems should stop demonizing Sanders. You have gone way overboard calling Sanders “dangerous” and “revolutionary,” as if he held ISIS membership. (Have you forgotten George Washington was a revolutionary?)

Lastly, pay attention to Dr. Fauci and Dr. Emanuel. Mitigation (stay-at-home and social distancing) is de rigueur. It is the safest way forward, until a vaccine is available.

Professional and college sports leagues should eventually come to this realization.