Give Credit Where Credit's Due
By TERRY LYONS @terrylyons
BOSTON - To say that the 2020 seasons for the NHL, the NBA and WNBA, the PGA Tour, and Major League Baseball were smooth sailing might be like saying Apollo 13 had a routine flight to the Moon. From March 11th ‘til this very day, every aspect of life on earth, and certainly life in the sports world, has changed.
While the COVID-19 virus was spreading through Asia, the Middle East and Europe, North American citizens were in “active surveillance” mode but weren’t contemplating the full force of a once every 100 years pandemic. The blip on the screen came when the Ivy League cancelled its mens and women’s basketball tournaments all while every other college conference had its teams flying into tournament cities for the collate version of Mardi Gras.
Then, it hit.
The NBA’s Adam Silver, realizing the potential disaster and potential loss of life stemming from positive tests of Rudy Gobert and the Utah Jazz, shut down the NBA. Like Earvin “Magic” Johnson shocking the world by walking up to a Fabulous Forum podium to announce he had the HIV virus, Silver’s decision to shut down the NBA made headlines everywhere and put North America on full notice, clearly stating - THIS IS SERIOUS and IT’s HERE.
The other sports went down like dominoes. March Madness took on a whole new meaning.
That all seems like ancient history now, nearly eight months later. But, Silver’s move set-off a realization that everyone was in trouble. Health, welfare, liquidity, and survival became priority one-to-four for households and businesses. Fear and uncertainty replaced March Madness and The Masters.
Incompetence and ignorance became the USA’s weapons of choice to fight the pandemic, spear-headed by an executive branch conducting business-as-usual by lying and covering-up its impending shortcomings with full knowledge of the cliff America was about to fall off.
North American sports leagues and organizations convened for a summit, but like the individual United States, they were largely left to navigate the uncertain future on their own. State governors undertook 50 different crisis management plans and league offices (while convening remotely but also consulting with each other) began their own plans to attempt to save billions.
In the NBA case, they reportedly spent $180 million with the assistance of their business and media partner, Disney and ESPN, to stage games in an enclosed campus on Disney Resort grounds in Orlando. Silver and his talented staff, together with their incredible players and teams, pulled it off to near perfect results and recently crowned the Los Angeles Lakers as 2020 NBA champions to earn some $1.5 billion to pay a good portion of player salaries, with full support of a bright and visionary Players Association.
The WNBA did much the same in Bradenton, Florida and crowned Sue Bird and the Seattle Storm as champs.
The NHL, picking Edmonton and Toronto as their bubbles, largely to deal with USA-Canada border regulations, pulled off their own version of “Miracle.”. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and his staff and players pulled it off, as well, and Bettman placed the NHL’s Stanley Cup into the hands of Tampa Bay Lightening captain Steven Stamkos. It was a remarkable accomplishment, considering the difficult logistics of a sport like ice hockey. (In case you didn't notice, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts recently shut down every ice rink in the state, cautious of the virus spreading in enclosed facilities).
NASCAR, Tennis (think U.S. Open and the French Open) and the PGA Tour have successfully resumed their seasons, Grand Slams, tournaments and majors. All the sports have dealt with set-backs, positive tests, protocols and “Plan Bs.” They’ve all done the very best they can and that deserves applause from every sports fan.
MLB and a memorable 2020 World Series was the latest to make it to the finish line, crowning the Los Angeles Dodgers as the best team in baseball. The Dodgers went (13-5) in 18 postseason games after a shortened 60-game regular season of (43-17). The 2020 trend of top notch teams and champions from Tampa and LA, might be a coincidence, but might be mini-dynasties in the making. Although, after the quick yank of starter Blake Snell last night, Tampa manager Kevin Cash has moved to the opposite end of Grady Little Island.
Baseball had the roughest trip of the bunch, squandering time on the front end with contentious negotiations between players and team owners, then a multitude of positive tests and schedule maneuvers to keep competitive balance as an accomplished goal.
The NFL and College Football? … Let’s not jinx them, okay?
And, College Basketball is not too far behind, we hope.
The next major sporting event will be The Masters at Augusta National in Georgia. Given the PGA Tour’s masterful navigation of the crisis thus far, the glory of The Masters shows promise. Here’s hoping world No. 1 Dustin Johnson (recently tested +) is able to make it to the Butler Cabin.
Are we not entertained?