COVID-19 - Leagues Suspended

[Gotham Gator]

The idea I’ve heard for MLS is isolating teams in the big soccer complex near Sarasota, FL. I think it’s affiliated with IMG. It’s huge. There would be enough space there for all the teams to train and play matches.

You’d basically need to have all the teams and their training staff along with referees and other support staff for games - all these people sent down there for at least a few weeks. They’d need to eat, sleep, train & play in a single, isolated community. That’s not going to be cheap, and you have to make sure you are testing for new cases and able to further isolate those who are positive.

On top of that, Florida is earlier in the curve than most of the rest of the country. Even if you are isolating the few hundred people involved, it’s not clear you can restart as early in Florida as somewhere else.

In short, there are logistical and financial concerns around using a single location with an isolated population to get the games going earlier. Still, it is a lot safer to restart with a few hundred people in isolation than flying teams around the country and having them play in front of stadiums full of fans.

 

[Ulrich]

This is ludicrous. Any discussion of isolating an entire league together. It would never ever work. Totally impossible. Even if all of these people- players, staff, TV, FO, etc agree to this nonsense, you’d also have to get additional people involved, like custodians, food services, etc. even if they all signed on and agreed to hibernate on this isolation island, there’s the issue of supplies coming in - food and such. One small item that’s delivered but isn’t thoroughly cleaned and you’ll have a mass spread among everybody in the camp/island before anybody realizes the infiltration.

Far too much at stake for an elective spectator sport to buck social safety.

 

[adam]

No one is going to want to be the first one back making money for both the league and the players?

I disagree.

And as far as mound visits.........there are already way too many of those and umpires calling balls and strikes is on its way out any way.

If coronavirus can bring about a digital strike zone then we've found one silver lining in all these horrors.

 

[adam]

Create an isolated society you say? I heard there is a company already working on it.

 

[FredMertz]

I love the fact that Brad Sims thinks we want to read nearly 700 words of this thoughts on Coronavirus.

So refreshing to hear someone finally acknowledge the efforts of healthcare workers and first responders.

 

[ZYanksRule]

No one is going to want to be the first one back making money for both the league and the players?

I disagree.

And as far as mound visits.........there are already way too many of those and umpires calling balls and strikes is on its way out any way.

No one is going to want to be first and risk being called out for being too soon, or too risky. I really believe they're all going to come back together.

 

[ZYanksRule]

This is ludicrous. Any discussion of isolating an entire league together. It would never ever work. Totally impossible. Even if all of these people- players, staff, TV, FO, etc agree to this nonsense, you’d also have to get additional people involved, like custodians, food services, etc. even if they all signed on and agreed to hibernate on this isolation island, there’s the issue of supplies coming in - food and such. One small item that’s delivered but isn’t thoroughly cleaned and you’ll have a mass spread among everybody in the camp/island before anybody realizes the infiltration.

Far too much at stake for an elective spectator sport to buck social safety.

Yup.

If the leagues are having to do stunts like this, they're coming back too fast. It's better to wait and be clear of the virus than be to soon and risk killing someone.

 

[Ulrich]

No one is going to want to be first and risk being called out for being too soon, or too risky. I really believe they're all going to come back together.

The NFL’s head doctor has basically said no Fcking way are they doing anything before all case are gone.

It’s not a difficult concept, but too many people either don’t understand, or refuse to accept for selfish reason, exponential math and how this can blow up again from a single case.

 

[Gotham Gator]

I don’t the think the idea around playing games in a single setting away from fans is meant to be something that’s safe now. It’s just something that could be safe well before it is safe to bring back games in stadiums with full travel.

 

[21Architect]

No one is going to want to be first and risk being called out for being too soon, or too risky. I really believe they're all going to come back together.

I think some people are getting tunnel vision on this MLB start up date.

MLB hasn’t said they are married to starting back up in May.

They might start back up in July. I firmly believe that the outlook on normalcy will be WAY different by the time July rolls around. CDC is already rolling back their projections and it’s April 8th.

Does MLB’s plan sound as crazy and unrealistic if you look at from the standpoint that Opening Day is 3 months from now?

 

[mgarbowski]

So refreshing to hear someone finally acknowledge the efforts of healthcare workers and first responders.

Yesterday I wrote a work email to someone I interact with every 3 months, and included the obligatory "I hope you and your family remains safe and healthy." When he wrote back, he just answered my email with no virus-related pleasantries. It was rather jarring.

 

[Ulrich]

I think some people are getting tunnel vision on this MLB start up date.

MLB hasn’t said they are married to starting back up in May.

They might start back up in July. I firmly believe that the outlook on normalcy will be WAY different by the time July rolls around. CDC is already rolling back their projections and it’s April 8th.

Does MLB’s plan sound as crazy and unrealistic if you look at from the standpoint that Opening Day is 3 months from now?

China is showing other areas besides Wuhan with infections, and just a few days ago they were touting how they were beating this. It’s safe to say nobody knows where this is headed, and it’s more likely to be headed in the wrong direction than the right. We still haven’t seen the fallout from spring breakers returning across the country. And most of the country is 2-3 weeks behind NYC.

 

[SteveV]

I love the fact that Brad Sims thinks we want to read nearly 700 words of this thoughts on Coronavirus.

That's exactly what I was thinking: (a) Why is this so long? There's not much of substance here... and (b) Why am I still reading this?

 

[Fantazma]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1247938344203563009

 

[Fantazma]

i thought this was on the way out even before this whole covid-19 situation, wasnt MLS going to do its own thing?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1248426339339620353

 

[mgarbowski]

i thought this was on the way out even before this whole covid-19 situation, wasnt MLS going to do its own thing?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1248426339339620353

Nothing in his tweet is inconsistent with what you thought.

 

[Davo15]

The idea I’ve heard for MLS is isolating teams in the big soccer complex near Sarasota, FL. I think it’s affiliated with IMG. It’s huge. There would be enough space there for all the teams to train and play matches.

You’d basically need to have all the teams and their training staff along with referees and other support staff for games - all these people sent down there for at least a few weeks. They’d need to eat, sleep, train & play in a single, isolated community. That’s not going to be cheap, and you have to make sure you are testing for new cases and able to further isolate those who are positive.

On top of that, Florida is earlier in the curve than most of the rest of the country. Even if you are isolating the few hundred people involved, it’s not clear you can restart as early in Florida as somewhere else.

In short, there are logistical and financial concerns around using a single location with an isolated population to get the games going earlier. Still, it is a lot safer to restart with a few hundred people in isolation than flying teams around the country and having them play in front of stadiums full of fans.

Well isn't UFC talking about acquiring a private island to host their events? Though Dana White is sort of a super villain so that might explain that approach..

 

[Fantazma]

Nothing in his tweet is inconsistent with what you thought.

i guess the timing of it makes people believe is due to the covid-19 and that only this season will be cancelled.

 

[mgarbowski]

i guess the timing of it makes people believe is due to the covid-19 and that only this season will be cancelled.

I interpreted "terminated" to be permanent. I think you're right this was in the works and it's happening now, but unrelated to the virus.

 

[mgarbowski]

Poll: 72 percent won’t go to games again without coronavirus vaccine

United States sports leagues may be itching to return to action but 72 percent of those who responded to a Seton Hall poll said they would not feel safe to attend games until a vaccine for the nove…

nypost.com

If people hold to this it likely means no live sporting events with fans until fall of 2021 or later.