Wednesday, November 10, 2021

CRY ME A RIVER

 






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Sunday, November 7, 2021

Covid versus Sports



The emergence of Covid caused quite the dilemma for pro sports leagues. How could the desire to maximize public safety mesh with the desire to make maximum money? Somehow they pulled it off. The NBA came up with a "bubble" playoff system, keeping basketball players on teams that qualified for the postseason in isolation from the rest of the world. Cardboard cut outs and recorded crowd noise took the place of a live audience. Home court advantage ceased to be a thing. But the games could still be played and televised, which meant advertisers could spend money on commercials that aired during the games, which meant that plenty of revenue could still be generated. Somehow they made it all the way to the crowning of a new champion. Somehow it turned out not to be the patched together for instant greatness Brooklyn Nets, or the LeBron James will never convince enough people that he's greater than Michael Jordan led Los Angeles Lakers, but rather, the small market, old school process of drafting well and team chemistry improving sufficiently over time to win a title Milwaukee Bucks. 



When it was time for the NFL to figure out how to deal with Covid for an entire season, they faced a daunting challenge and did a respectable job of being up to it. There was no bubble, but once again home field advantage was rendered obsolete with piped in crowd noise and cardboard cut out fans. Since football games are played outdoors in huge stadiums, a limited number of fans were allowed to attend in person. The rest of us watched on TV or some other screen. Players were given the opportunity to opt out of the season. Some chose to do so, most decided to play, the season rumbled on to conclusion with Tom Brady somehow winning yet another Super Bowl ring - this time in Tampa Bay, Florida of all places.




All of the various other sports that are performed for profit and watched for entertainment (plus profit for those who gamble and guess correctly more often than not) took the necessary measures to at least give the illusion that athletes and fans alike were being protected from exposure to Covid while the games played on. After being postponed for a year, the Summer Olympic games were played. The challenge of continuing sports in the era of Covid was met head on with admirable work done in the name of commerce and entertaining distraction from real world problems.



It wasn't until we were offered hope in the form of vaccines that make it far less likely (though not impossible) to catch Covid, and make Covid much less likely to be fatal, that things got complicated. For some reason that I can't quite comprehend, it morphed from a public safety issue to a political one. Anti maskers smoothly transitioned to becoming anti-vaxxers. No more bubble. No more cardboard cut outs. 100% fan attendance allowed. No restrictions for anyone who wants to participate as either a player or an in-person fan, provided that you're Covid free, vaccinated, and willing to offer proof of vaccination status. Depending on the sport one plays, the city that sport is played in, and one's willingness to trust the science that is reducing a pandemic to mere nuisance, things got a lot more complicated. High profile athletes such as Kyrie Irving and Aaron Rodgers have been unwilling to follow new rules and play ball. And so here we are at the intersection of pro sports and politics and freedom loving social issues. It doesn't matter who you think is in the right and who you believe is dead wrong. The end result is a big mess. Perhaps Kyrie and Aaron now have a greater appreciation for what Colin Kaepernick went through because he chose to kneel in protest while a song that he found to be hypocritical was played at the start of every game. 



Everyone should stand up (or kneel down) for what he/she believes in. There will be people who agree with your stance and those who do not. In the end, the opinion of the person in the mirror is the one of primary consequence. Muhammad Ali did not want to participate in a war against people he did not consider to be his enemy, and for that his title was taken until he went out and took it back. Colin Kaepernick wanted greater spotlight on police brutality, and for that he was willing to sacrifice the remainder of his career as an athlete in exchange for one as a social justice warrior. Kyrie Irving and Aaron Rodgers apparently are rather wary of needles. Whatever, bruh. Choose your hill. Fight on it at your own peril. Keep your Covid germs to yourself.


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