Over the past two weeks we have seen some tremendous things take place in the sports world. The NBA, NHL, MLS and MLB are all back in action and we are seeing mixed results.
The Good
So far the NBA and NHL have gotten it right. The “bubble” created in Orlando has allowed the NBA to return in full force and while it is not ideal for the players it is going to get huge tv ratings. I watched the Lakers game last night and saw the digital fans, pumped in crowd noise and new camera angles. I can say that I was impressed and it looks like they are going to make this work albeit an outbreak that sneaks into the bubble.
The NHL took a similar perspective and created a Canadian bubble to resume the season in a playoff format. Sure it is only game 1 but COVID positive rates are extremely low and it looks like they will be able to pull it off to finish the season.
The Bad
MLB is on the verge of collapse. It started with the Marlins and not it is cascading across the league. Players are beginning to opt out because they see the impacts to players and the mixture of travel, team size, locker rooms and logistics are just too much for the league to handle. In the first four days of play resuming MLB already had to make a decision whether or not the season could continue on.
The Okay
MLS is faring a little better than MLB but they have seen games get cancelled already. They too have entered a playoff type format with “MLS is Back”. If all goes well the MLS will resume the season and have a condensed schedule. Currently the MLS is playing in Orlando for all of the games, like the NBA, but if travel is required for the regular season it is likely the path of MLB is to follow.
The NFL
Currently the NFL is set to resume as scheduled during Week 1. We have seen a flurry of players opt out of the season already. These are guys on one-year deals and a lot of defensive tackles (probably due to BMI). They have no bubble plan because owners want to use their billion dollar stadiums. Players do not want to be quarantined in a make-shift city for 17 weeks + playoffs and away from their friends and family.
I personally think that this is extremely short sighted and that a Plan B for the NFL should be to have a two week pause and move all operations to a warm climate with ample stadiums to host multiple games per day with staggered times. Games could be on Saturday and Sunday since college football is not looking so hot.
The Bengals need the 2020 season to happen. We need Burrow to get snaps to begin his journey in the NFL. We need to see what needs to happen with this offensive line. We need to get as many years out of Atkins and Dunlap as we can while they are still on the young-ish side. And then there is AJ Green.
Come on NFL let’s re-think this and re-think this fast!