Resuming a sports season in the middle of a global pandemic is no easy feat. There have got to be tons of precautions taken by each league and each team and individual to ensure everybody’s safety.
The NBA went with the bubble rout as they try and resume the season safely and so far, the results have been encouraging. There have been zero positive cases of COVID-19 inside the bubble since the 22 teams got to Orlando. There have been protocols that each individual has to go through every morning and these precautions have kept things running smoothly.
“I think what the NBA has done in the environment that we are all in is spectacularly brilliant,” said Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown. “I think it’s elite. I personally have zero complaints about anything that might prohibit us [from] doing our jobs. I think we have the resources, I think we have the environment. I think it’s an incredibly unique opportunity and I think the NBA and Adam Silver deserve a lot of credit.”
Even though the bubble has had these teams and players inside for only a few weeks, everything that has gone down has given everybody a sense of safety and security moving forward. There is the confidence that the league can really finish up the season and do it the right way.
“I concede that it’s early days, but let’s just say what we know now continues and every day I go through with my wrist band and every day I take my temperature and every day I do my oxygen test and it immediately goes to a Bluetooth device on my phone that lets me in places,” Brown continued. “Every day I’m tested with mouth and nasal swabs and you just can’t create a better environment, one of safety, one of efficiency, one of professionalism than what we have experienced, in my opinion.”
On Monday morning, there was a reported outbreak of the virus amongst the Miami Marlins of MLB who were just in Philadelphia for their season-opening series with the Phillies. This then led to the Marlins home opener being canceled Monday night and the Phillies matchup with the New York Yankees also being canceled.
MLB has been allowing teams to play in their home ballparks and teams are traveling from city to city. While there are no fans allowed in the stadium, that is still an uneasy plan given the unknowns of this virus. Maybe they should have taken the bubble approach as well.
“I just can’t imagine it not being a blueprint to many things,” Brown finished with. “It’s easy to go to sports, maybe there’s something corporate that we’re not thinking about, maybe other forms of entertainment that want to pull something like this off, but I give a full thumbs up to Adam Silver and the NBA. I’m proud to be here, I feel safe being here, and it lets me do my job.”
The Sixers take on the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday in their third and final scrimmage game before their first seeding game on Saturday. [lawrence-related id=35590,35578,35572]