If the human element mattered in this surreal, stupefying slog of 2020, the consensus directive would be, Health first, sports later. Instead, the resumption of games has become a marketing slogan YOU CANT STOP SPORT courtesy of Nike, of course, which is trying to spike its stock with yet another campaign portraying athletes as invincible gods who, in this case, are bigger than COVID-19.
You cant stop sport, says Russell Wilson, who is in the commercial, because you cant stop us.
And when any of us challenge that rationale as foolish, dangerous and ass-backward that ones life is a bit more important than a bastardized ballgame amid a pandemic we are subjected to the millennial wisdom of Kyle Brandt, he of the NFL Network, who surely heard an Attaboy or two from his league bosses when he tweeted, Theres a segment of the NFL media that seems to be almost rooting for COVID to affect the season. They want it. They see the Marlins news and say, `Yep! Lots of luck, football! These are people who make their livings off football. I dont get it.
Well, Kyle, the Marlins outbreak news soon became the Cardinals outbreak news, inevitably to be followed by another teams coronavirus spread. And some of us, as professional journalists, are obligated to be honest to the masses and not underplay a global health crisis because were beholden to a pay day, as maybe you are, Kyle, along with others I see in sports media. Consider it more jarring proof that this Major League Baseball season never should have been attempted and that Rob Manfred, the so-called commissioner, should be banished to another planet for jeopardizing the lives of players and families and further humiliating the sport. Its now more evident than a 104-degree fever and relentless diarrhea runs that leagues not playing seasons in restrictive medical environments are doomed to stall, which eventually will include the NFL and college football, once mass outbreaks occur as players spit, breathe, slobber and bleed on each other every play, then gather in confined locker rooms to spread those expectorations, then travel to road hotels or mask-optional campus parties. These are not dominoes, Kyle. These are human beings who might get sick and spread COVID-19 to others, who could get sick themselves or, I dont know, maybe die.
Yet the ongoing realities of the virus We just have to assume the monster is everywhere, said Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, whose state is home to two MLB franchises has only turned Manfred into his own kind of monster. In a country with 500,000 new infections the past week, a country that Johns Hopkins University says needs a reset because the U.S. is not currently on course to get control of this epidemic, Dr. Rob isnt going down without a fight. Knowing the NBA, NHL and other leagues in Bubbles are functioning well so far and making MLB look typically inept, Manfred responded with his own grand, You Cant Stop Sport declaration to ESPN after postponing 17 games in his seasons first 10 days. In the process, he continued to point a long index finger at the players and their union, as always for violating health/safety protocols when: (1) Manfred and the owners signed off on those protocols; (2) MLB should have been monitoring the players behavior all along and canceled the Miami-Phillies game eight days ago, when the Marlins outbreak emerged; and (3) MLB decided not to conduct tests daily, meaning infected players can be exposed to other people for days while awaiting results, which probably is what happened when the Cardinals had their explosion of positive tests.
We are playing, said Manfred, who pondered canceling the season and should have. The players need to be better, but I am not a quitter in general and there is no reason to quit now. We have had to be fluid, but it is manageable.
Yeah, just as Howard the Duck thought he could manage Son of Satan. This from the man who refuses to put baseballs virus catastrophe in the nightmare category, the very definition of denial if not delusion. Its what the public health experts have been saying from the beginning about this, that there is no one big magic fix, Manfred, who has not held a press conference in months, told the Associated Press. The protocols are a series of little things that people need to do. Weve had some problems. In order to be better, its a series of little things. I think its peer pressure. I think its players taking personal responsibility. When will Manfred realize this is not a fair fight? How many positive tests, team quarantines, game postponements, reconfigured schedules, Yoenis Cespedes blow-offs and seven-inning doubleheaders does he need before he finally gets it that hes risking a full-blown tragedy and starts thinking with common sense instead of feeding his shattered ego? He already has said baseball cant afford to not finish this season if others leagues do. But quitting, at this point, would be the noble and sensible option, with epidemiologist Zachary Binney tweeting, This is veering quickly into `shut all of MLB down territory for me.
Understandably, players are tired of being blamed while Manfred and the owners sit in their bunkers, counting early revenues. Said veteran pitcher Jon Lester: I dont know Robs situation, and I dont want to put my foot in my mouth. But I do know we not only players, but families are making sacrifices, day in and day out. Ill stop there. This after Cubs teammate Anthony Rizzo, who, as a cancer survivor, is especially vulnerable to the virus, tweeted during a rain delay in Cincinnati: Player safety? @mlb lets sit around for 8 plus hours inside the clubhouse.. Im sure I can find that somewhere in the 113 page safety protocol.
Meanwhile, leagues playing inside Bubbles have found a competitive mood and safety vibe antithetical to baseballs chaos. While realizing any medical or logistical hiccup is possible at any moment, Id say the NBAs Bubble is blowing up right now, to paraphrase the kids, with a chance not only to complete a season but even be entertaining and compelling in the process. Seamlessly, and almost miraculously, the coronavirus became an afterthought as we watched: LeBron James hit a game-winner to end an intense Lakers-Clippers game the Raptors beat down the Lakers with smothering defense and a reminder they could repeat as champions COVID-19 scapegoat Rudy Gobert hit the first shot and two deciding free throws in the leagues first game back James Harden go for 49 in a playground romp between the Rockets and Mavericks Zion Williamson pout while tethered to the bench on a playing-time restriction Giannis Antetokounmpo make another MVP statement and the leagues players and coaches beautifully salute Black Lives Matter, whether kneeling, standing or wearing a jersey with no social justice message, as Jimmy Butler tried to no avail.
As Clippers coach Doc Rivers said, relaying his thoughts about George Floyd while kneeling during the national anthem, The hardest thing that happened to me was, my knee was hurting. In the middle of it, Im thinking, `In two minutes, my knee is hurting, yet there was a guy that had his knee on someones neck for eight minutes. Think about that. A national anthem took two minutes. There were guys who needed towels and things to get under their knees, and yet someone kneeled on another human beings neck for eight minutes.
This is what the NBA does. It figures out solutions and keeps eyeballs on basketball, thanks to more cameras, tight angles and technical innovations. Yes, the virtual, big-headed fans are goofy, as are the occasional simulated ventures into NBA 2K mode. But we barely notice because the games are interesting and the same can be said for the NHL, which followed the NBAs lead and established two bubbles in virus-dulled Canada, so far with solid reviews in Toronto and Edmonton.
Said James: Were in the land of the unknown. Things are happening for the first time. You just take it for what it is. Dont take the moment for granted. Were all still living and alive and back to doing what we love to do: playing the game, watching the game. Thats a blessing, because 2020 has been pretty (crappy). Were all blessed. No matter what the (situation) is, no matter what the bubble is, no fans, or with fans, basketball is basketball and competitive spirit is competitive spirit, so were right back to where we left off.
So is baseball, for that matter, still stuck in the same world of hurt and inevitable impasse when the collective bargaining agreement expires next year. Leave it to MLB to clumsily lead the pandemic way for Big Sports in America, only to wobble frantically, with no sadder scene than sending the Marlins back to South Florida in sleeper buses after at least 18 players were infected and quarantined in Philadelphia. Obviously, even a shortened season already has been stripped of its competitive integrity and ability to produce a legitimate champion, which I wrote a week ago while calling for the season to be canceled. Since then, Manfred has directed his ire at Players Association executive director Tony Clark, threatening to shut down the season if players dont manage the virus better. Rizzo wants to know how thats possible when, without a Bubble, teams are required to travel to cities, stay in hotels and come into constant contact with virus carriers and that doesnt include protocol violators who might be taking risks around town or at a Wisconsin golf course, as some members of the Cardinals have been accused. Its one of those things where you can get food delivered to you, and if (the virus) is on there, we dont know where this thing hides all the time, Rizzo said. You got to be prudent. You got to have faith, but guys are gonna get it. Tomorrow, we could have someone walking around here asymptomatic and spread it to 10 guys.
The opt-outs, positive tests and short-season-related injuries continue, an absence of continuity that is robbing fans of whatever enjoyment they can muster. Mike Trout whose wife delivered their first child, a son named Beckham Aaron would be wise to stay home and not return, but hes a good man who wants to help a dying sport. Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez, who has a heart issue likely stemming from a recent COVID-19 bout, shut down his season. Milwaukees Lorenzo Cain explained his weekend decision to opt out: With all of the uncertainty and unknowns surrounding our game at this time, I feel that this is the best decision for me, my wife, and our three kids.
And Nationals manager Dave Martinez, who has an underlying heart condition, continues to speak about his fears, telling the Washington Post, You know what? Im just not going to hold it in anymore. This is different for everyone. This is scary for us, even if our job is to play a game. I feel like thats something I have to say. This is weighing on me a lot. Its not just the players or myself. Thats only the start of it. Its my coaching staff, the clubbies, the PR staff, the beat writers, everyones families. A lot of people could be in danger if were not smart and safe. And even then, you really dont know if thats enough.
Yet, the owners expect these men to keep trudging out there every day and play ballgames, no matter the health fallout. Is Manfred even listening to a man who only directed a team to a championship last autumn?
Just as America was in no mood to hear the owners and players jibber-jabber over money before the season resumed, no one wants to hear the owners blame the players for outbreaks. All the sides want to do is fight, a rift that goes back decades and was exacerbated last spring when Manfred described the World Series trophy as a piece of metal. Tweeted pitcher Trevor Bauer, referring to the protocol blame Manfred is placing on players: Take no risk yourself; blame everything on the players; protect TV revenue at all costs. Is Bauer not dead-on right? He didnt mention that the players werent interested in a Bubble, but the prospect turned moot anyway when owners engaged players in a a weeks-long fight over taking a second pay cut. We should ignore the rhetoric. Baseball will not recover from this, nor does it deserve to after the leagues medical director, Gary Green, tried to justify the Marlins outbreak thusly last week: Twenty-nine out of 30 is a pretty good batting average if youre playing baseball. By my count, six teams and counting have been disrupted so far, which means the batting average is climbing.
Not that anyone in sports is treating COVID-19 with appropriate fear. These multi-billion-dollar industries have exploited Americas divided views on the coronavirus wearing masks, sending kids back to classrooms, geopolitical madness and who should win an apocalyptic presidential election presumably ahead in just three months to almost sneak-slide games back into the American consciousness. The media have gleefully responded with mostly Brandt-approved coverage, such as when ESPN led SportsCenter not with an important Marlins update early last week but a Pirates-Brewers game. Sometimes, the network reminds me of a drug dealer, slipping coke to fans to feed their Why We Love Sports fix and make sure they keep watching and gambling.
Coronavirus? What coronavirus?
Yet explain how Charles Barkley and the Inside The NBA crew can make us not only forget the pandemic, but make us LOL.
The U.S. casualty numbers, which are nearing 200,000 and could reach a half-million without a miracle vaccine, have not deterred sports in the least. The NFL, a $15-billion-a-year enterprise lorded over by a commissioner and team owners who wont be risking their health on lines of scrimmage, still believes a regular season will start in five weeks; the sizable number of players already opting out, including eight New England Patriots, strongly suggests otherwise, as does the positive test of another head coach, the Eagles Doug Pederson. College football hedges its bets, moving schedules back in wishfully thinking the virus will fade, but more outbreaks and opt-outs are inevitable. The almighty Southeastern Conference, still planning a shortened season in a region with less virus-related resistance, allowed players to speak with commissioner Greg Sankey and medical advisers in a conference call last week, the Washington Post reported. The exchange was ominous.
There are going to be outbreaks, one SEC official told the players. Were going to have positive cases on every single team in the SEC. Thats a given. And we cant prevent it.
Added Sankey: Part of our work is to bring as much certainty in the midst of this really strange time as we can so you can play football in the most healthy way possible, with the understanding there arent any guarantees in life.
The pushback, shall we say, was akin to a goal-line stand. Said Texas A&M linebacker Keeath Magee II: You guys have answered a lot of questions the best way that you guys could, and we really appreciate it. But as much as you guys dont know its just kind of not good enough. We want to play. We want to see football. We want to return to normal as much as possible. But its just that with all this uncertainty, all this stuff thats still circulating in the air, yall know it kind of leaves some of us still scratching my head. I feel like the college campus is the one thing that you cant control.
Expect more rebellion in coming days, with a group of Pac-12 players threatening to opt out of games if the conference doesnt meet their safety demands while, according to a letter published by The Players Tribune, addressing concerns about racial injustice andeconomic rights and fair compensation.
They want to be paid.
Wouldnt you, if you were age 20 and assuming all the health risks while the leagues, universities and TV networks were making the billions? At least WNBA phenom Sabrina Ionescu was making a salary when she suffered a Grade 3 ankle sprain that could cost her the season and whos to say she, like other athletes, wasnt more susceptible to injury by rushing back to play after a limited preseason?
Somehow, perhaps because this virus also is destroying brain cells, the deadly ramifications of a global pandemic have been lost amid the fury of restarting sports and rushing events onto TV. The games inside Bubbles have scratched the familiar sports itch, and, I admit, I watched the final period of a Blackhawks-Oilers game. Golf has been a surprise hit, with the hulking emergence of Bryson DeChambeau still dominating conversation before the PGA Championship, the seasons first major yep, major arrives later this week at Harding Park in San Francisco.
Yet, in the time I took to write this column, more people have died from COVID-19. And a goof like Kyle Brandt wont pay attention, preferring we ignore and whitewash an epic catastrophe so he doesnt lose his gig on Good Morning, Football. Good night, Kyle.
The Nike commercial, too, will continue in heavy rotation. But to say You Cant Stop Sport is false advertising. Maybe you cant stop sports inside Bubbles, at least for now, but baseball and football soon will be added to the mounting death toll.
https://barrettsportsmedia.com
Jay Mariotti, called the most impacting Chicago sportswriter of the past quarter-century, is the host of Unmuted, a frequent podcast about sports and life (Apple, Podbean, etc.). He is an accomplished columnist, TV panelist and radio host. As a Los Angeles resident, he gravitated by osmosis to movie projects. He appears Wednesday nights on The Dino Costa Show, a segment billed as The Rawest Hour in Sports Broadcasting. Compensation for this column is donated to the Scripps College of Communication General Fund at Ohio University. He can be reached on Twitter @MariottiSports.
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As Baseball Blows It, The Bubbles Are Blowing Up - Barrett Sports Media