My Monthly Sports Minute: Reopening the NBA + Responding to COVID
I still remember when I saw the breaking news alert about Rudy Gobert’s positive COVID test and the indefinite suspension of NBA play. It was night time and the middle of the week. It was also the middle of my university’s spring break. Soon afterwards, I heard actor Tom Hanks and his wife tested positive for COVID. The news surprised me. I figured pro athletes and celebrities were safer than most. Around the same time, my university asked faculty to begin moving all of our classes online. COVID immediately became much more real and serious to me, my wife, and many others.
So much has and hasn’t happened since Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID. Some people I know have tested positive and many people I don’t know have even died.
Many people, including my family, were laid off or furloughed. Others, like myself, have been forced to work from home. Essential workers have been on the front lines. Kids have been home from school. Restaurants, stores, movie theaters, churches, offices, parks, beaches, etc. were closed too. Travel plans were canceled or postponed. There were little to no live sports. The closest thing me and other NBA fans have had to live sports play has been ESPN’s The Last Dance docuseries.
Three months after NBA player Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID, the league now has plans to reopen without fans at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports in Orlando. A city news outlets are now calling a COVID “hot spot.” The NBA is supposed to protect players by keeping them inside of exclusive resorts or a “bubble.” Many other pro or college sports leagues have similar plans to reopen. I’m not sure about you but I have mixed feelings. Do the pros outweigh the cons?
On one hand, I’m an avid fan of the NBA and my favorite player’s team has been on track to win the title this season. I’m referring to LeBron James and the Lakers. But, I don’t want more players to get sick or possibly die from the virus. I also don’t want them to be isolated from their friends and family for months or to potentially infect someone they love. Plus critics believe live sports will distract from society’s current focus on racial injustices and police brutality. Will live sports do more harm than good?
Ironically, I live and work in central FL. It may be wishful thinking but I’m hoping the virus subsides enough for fans like me to meet LeBron and see the Lakers win the title. My less optimistic and more realistic side has me wondering if the NBA will restart play only to get stopped again. An unfinished season would be a big disappointment for aging stars like LeBron. It could also lead to Anthony Davis’ departure. It’s already sad to think that Kobe Bryant won’t be around to possibly see LeBron win a title in LA.
Who could’ve forecasted all of this in 2020? Only a prophet. I’m going to keep putting my faith in God and trust it will work out for the best. At the end of the day, it’s all a part of God’s plan and all things work together for good (Jeremiah 29:11; Romans 8:28).
- Leroy Long III, PhD
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