On March 11, the city of San Francisco announced a two week ban on gatherings of more than 1,000 people in response to the then rapidly escalating number of cases of COVID-19 spreading along the west coast of the United States. For the first time, the prospect of an NBA game without fans was looming, with the Golden State Warriors set to host the Brooklyn Nets later that same week.
They never made it. Later that same day, an odd scene played in Oklahoma City's Chesapeake Energy Arena where the home Thunder were about to host the visiting Utah Jazz. Just prior to the opening tip, the players were evacuated from the court, the Jazz bench was swabbed with chemicals and eventually the game was cancelled around a rumor (which was true) that the Jazz's Rudy Gobert had tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. Games went on that night in Miami, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Dallas. The next day the whole league was shut down. It still is.
Since then, the league, players and media have talked about a number of different scenarios for the rest of the season. Play without fans. Make no decision until May at the earliest. Move the whole league to one spot (Vegas, anyone?) and play the whole rest of the season game after game in the same arena. Start the playoffs now and put every team in. Players said they wouldn't play without fans. Then flip-flopped quickly thereafter. Now according to commissioner Adam Silver "everything" is on the table. Realistically, everything's been on the table for a while now with all the ideas that have been thrown around in the last five weeks or so.
We are now beyond the scheduled end of the regular season (April 15 in case Wizards fan appreciation night wasn't circled on your personal schedule). We are supposed to be watching playoff basketball. But still, no decision from the league. It's still a waiting game. There's still too much money at stake for the owners and a lot of other people associated with the continuation of the NBA schedule for a decision to cancel to be made. I'm sure there are teams and players out there who don't want to stop. I'd put Milwaukee Bucks fans (worried about if Giannis will leave if the team doesn't win this year), LeBron James (worried about if Anthony Davis will leave) and Los Angeles Clippers fans (can their team finally make a conference finals appearance?) at the head of the line.
In the meantime, there's a new normal out there, whatever that really means. Staying at home. Working at home if you are lucky. Uncertain infections symptoms. Uncertainty around immunity if the disease is contracted and you survive. Sure there are people out there who seem very upset about the whole thing who are determined to protest the government's right to restrict their movement or who seem to feel this thing is no worse a killer than the flu or car accidents (last time I checked car accidents weren't contagious). but unless there's vaccine found pronto, there's no real concept of what normal or a new normal is going to look like.
The question then is, if the NBA somehow feels it's safe enough to resume games with fans, do you go? I don't think I do.
The last crisis that stopped American sports on a grand scale were the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon just outside Washington and wherever Al Qaeda wanted Flight 93 that was downed in Pennsylvania to hit on September 11, 2001. After a pause in on field events, the United States got back to playing sports and rooting for their teams as a symbol of defiance against a terrorist organization determined to take down the American way of life. Our turning up en masse to congregate together was a glorious sign of solidarity and a message that we would not be afraid or defeated.
This COVID-19 situation is not 9/11. Coming together in a building full of friends and strangers is exactly what we should not be doing at this time. We should not be breathing the air that people next to us exhale or cough or sneeze in crowds of 12 to 20 thousand. Depending on who you are, that sort of behavior could do nothing to you, or get you very sick or kill you. How do we really know things are safe? What's going to make the NBA make that decision?
Maybe they plan to social distance. Airlines are still operating flights and have decided to seat folks every other row or every third row and no more sitting in the middle seats. It's not the recommended six feet but it's better than having someone sick in the very next seat. Does the NBA do the same thing? Do they operate with crowds of 8,000 or less than that with gaps in the seating? Every other row and every third seat? I can't imagine, even though it may actually be possible in some arenas and yes, Wizards fans, you know what I'm talking about.
I've been working at home for almost five weeks now. Other than runs at 5 a.m. or 6 a.m. to the grocery store and a weekly trip for takeout at our local ramen shop, I've mostly stayed inside 24/7. My car battery is dead. I roll out of bed every day and start working straight away in my pjs and the shirt I wore the previous day. I shower only after I work out, which I've been doing about five times a week. I have no idea right now what would make me feel comfortable enough to go out for real.
For sure, there's nothing that would go on down at Capital One Arena that would make me go to a building with more than 10,000 fans in it. The remaining regular season games in the 2019-2020 regular season? I don't think so. Not even if the Wizards were in real playoff contention (I know it's mathematically possible but come on...). Let's say the NBA decides to play out the regular season (they won't in my opinion). Do I go to see LeBron James and the Lakers visit D.C.? What about Zion Williamson? There are three bobbleheads left on the schedule. What about those? My answer here is no way for all of those. I love the Wizards and bobbleheads but no way do I go to a meaningless game for the rest of the current season. I'd think hard about going to pick up a bobblehead and come straight home but I can't even imagine that.
Why would we? Why should we put anyone at risk so Bucks, Lakers or Clippers fans could see their teams win a title and so the mostly billionaire NBA owners won't lose quite as much. Any resumption of the season would put players, fans, owners, staff, stadium workers, first responders, healthcare workers and more at risk. Why would we do that? So the Larry O'Brien trophy can be handed out? I know the teams don't want to give cash back to the fans for unplayed games but honestly, that decision can't be anything else really but inevitable at this point, right? The end of the 2019-2020 season seems like a no brainer here.
The bigger question is what happens after this. The NFL claims their season will start on time. Why? How do they know that? If there are enough empty hospital beds to accommodate a surge in infection from NFL games do we go ahead? The NBA has a couple of more months to figure out things for their next season. But in all honestly, unless things are completely under control I can't see myself heading to the Wizards season opener. And really, how can things be completely under control about five months from now? I know there's a long way to go but I can't see it.
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| Wizards fans frequently social distance at the beginning of games. A frequent sight during team intros. |
