Dr Fauci on restarting major sports

[Roland99]

Dr. Anthony Fauci says there's a way to bring back sports — with special stipulations

https://sports.yahoo.com/dr-anthony-fauci-says-theres-a-way-to-bring-back-sports-no-fans-quarantine-teams-144547443.html

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease doctor in the United States, said there’s a chance sports can come back this year but with stipulations.

“There’s a way of doing that,” Fauci told Snapchat’s Peter Hamby on Wednesday in one interview of a week-long series. “Nobody comes to the stadium. Put them (athletes) in big hotels, wherever you want to play. Keep them very well surveilled ... and have them tested like every week and make sure they don’t wind up infecting each other or their family and just let them play the season out.”

...

Would people be OK with a spectator-less sport?

The option might be sports without spectators or no sports at all. In that case, Fauci — a former basketball player — thinks the decision is easy.

“People say, ‘well you can’t play without spectators,’” Fauci said in the interview. “Well, I think you’ll probably get enough buy in from people who are dying to see a baseball game. Particularly me. I’m living in Washington — we have the world champion in the Washington Nationals. I want to see them play again.”

[ProfessorGAC]

1. TV Is The Big $

And in today's high def, big screen, 12 camera world of live TV, the games are a television show anyway.
Would help millions of fans to stay home & stay sane.
I'm a sports fan, but I'm not jonesing over it.
But, it would be a nice step toward normal daily life, on a big stage.

[a kennedy]

14. and sorry, I'm dying without my sports.....golf, and tennis mostly

but come fall I NEED MY NFL, AND COLLEGE FOOTBALL. Sorry, but sports are one thing that will make me feel normal.

[milestogo]

23. If they have to stay 6 ft away from Aaron Rodgers, this is going to be a great season!

[a kennedy]

27. Green Bay Packers super bowl baby......

[ProfessorGAC]

24. Agreed

There's many people in your boat.
I'm still watching the ESPN talking head shows everyday. At least it's sports oriented and, since I retired I watch those in the winter, except on sub days, and rest of year until it's time to go play golf.
For me, watching those shows is "normal". So, it helps me in that way, too.

[uponit7771]

2. They'd have to have a 1 hour daily test before even going to practice ... that's, no

[HarlanPepper]

18. Are you an infectious disease specialist like Dr Fauci?

[Ptah]

33. You seem nice.

[HarlanPepper]

34. Thank you.

[imanamerican63]

3. There is huge problem!

“To test the athletes every week”? Yet, only 1 percent of the US has been tested, plus it would be the tax payers footing the bill, either by their taxes or prices at the ticket box!

[samnsara]

4. i watch it on tv anyway..

[redstatebluegirl]

7. So do we, football tickets at the university we work for are way beyond reasonable.

I can sit at home and have a cold beverage, a close potty and not have to sit next to a Trumper.

[luvs2sing]

5. Yup. He drank the Kool Aid.

Maybe went back for seconds. Stupid idea.

[tavernier]

12. No, I think he knows that if some things aren't slowly

and carefully reintroduced, the whole isolation thing could quickly unravel. We not exactly under lock and key.

[xmas74]

32. No.

I think he's offering cautious hope. He is saying there can be small rollouts if it's done in a certain manner. He did say the games would not be played in front of crowds but that by this fall they could be played.

I live in a college town. I've already heard the grumblings about fall football and especially about Homecoming. He's explaining how we can still have football but in a different way.

I can see neighbors on a warm autumn day pulling a tv out into a yard or driveway and facing it so others can watch. It's limiting but it offers a chance to connect while distancing.

[Coleman]

6. Hell, DeSantis made pro wrestling essential in Florida.

So they are back in the :ring.:

[Boomerproud]

11. Jimmy Kimmel said last night. "Florida is back to

being Florida."

[gibraltar72]

8. Sports is the opiate of the people.

[C_U_L8R]

9. Tag a runner from six feet away?

[NightWatcher]

10. Sorry but they can play after we survive first. I miss baseball but damn.

This is a tad bigger and more important

[luvs2sing]

15. Agreed! It is killing me not to have baseball and March Madness.

But it isn’t literally KILLING me. Which could happen if they rush this.

[Roland99]

21. IKR? A simulation was done and the Univ of Louisville Cardinals "won" the NCAA

I wasn't that hopeful for the team but March Madness is my favorite time of year. So exciting watching all of the games.

For the NFL or other more contact sports, I don't see how it can return this fall unless every player and coach and trainer etc are tested daily

[crickets]

28. Agreed. It's just not a good idea. nt

[SoonerPride]

13. Everyone wants sports back, but players aren't chattel to be used toward that goal

Great article in the WaPo about this topic.

To dismiss the threat exposing the athletes to COVID-19 for your entertainment is actually gross and dehumanizing. Until there is a vaccine there won't be fans in the stands and nor should the athletes play just to amuse us because we are bored.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/04/13/everyone-wants-sports-back-players-arent-chattel-be-used-toward-that-goal/

[KY_EnviroGuy]

16. We can bet the big wealthy owners are pushing for this.

They've got megabuck salaries to pay and facilities to maintain. Sounds like they need the TV ad revenue to stay afloat, or perhaps stay in the life-style to which they're accustomed.

But so do factories and retail interests........

[cbdo2007]

17. People are so desperate for sports they could have all sorts of smaller competitions going on...

Like a 3 point shooting contest for basketball or even a slam dunk contest, half court shot contest for charity, etc. For baseball have a home run contest or something just to get the players out there.

Or have them give commentary on their recent games. Like for the Super Bowl, have the two quarterbacks from the teams, each coach, 1 or 2 other players just go through the whole game and give commentary and limited strategy and stuff. That would actually be really interesting.

[SidDithers]

19. In the meantime, pro players playing MLB The Show against each other on Twitch...

https://www.mlb.com/playersleague

Not quite the same, but still fun to watch

Sid

[Codeine]

30. Watching Formula1 drivers

race each other in a video game; that was the moment I knew I was addicted.

[SidDithers]

31. LOL. Yup me too...

Watching Bo Bichette cheering / chastising his real Blue Jay teammates, as he controls them, is really meta-fun.

"Great play Vladdy! Nice throw!"
"C'mon T-Shaw, gotta leg that one out!"
"Teo, man! How'd you miss that catch?"



Sid

[First Speaker]

20. Is there some way they could Zoom up the scoreboards...

...to show and hear people watching the games from home? That way, you'd get at least some fan participation and feedback during the games...

[milestogo]

22. He was a point guard and captain of his HS basketball team.

I had to look it up, because he doesn't look like an athlete.

KG: Dr. Fauci is not a large man. He would not have been a large teenager either. So how did it come to be that he was the captain of his high school basketball team?

BC: Well, he's probably somewhere between like 5-foot-5, 5-foot-7. And he was always short, but he always was this incredible leader. He was this classic little point guard. He was a great ball handler, an annoying defender. One of his teammates said that he would literally dribble through brick walls. Now, I don't think he would literally dribble through brick walls, but you sort of get the sentiment. You can kind of picture the type of player that Tony Fauci was just by looking at him.

https://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2020/04/03/anthony-fauci-ben-cohen-running-basketball

[Roland99]

25. 500 student enrollment for a HS in Manhattan.

that's pretty small.

and that's enrollment now. no idea what it was 60 years ago

[milestogo]

29. I'll bet he was 1st in his class, too.

Doesn't matter. He's a very smart guy and has had an amazing career.

[Roland99]

36. Oh I bet.

[Baclava]

26. NFL might work sans fans, until the first player turns up positive! What is Players Union saying?

[Renew Deal]

38. They all have that problem

All you need is 1 sick player and the entire league has to shut down.

[Marrah_Goodman]

35. Most people watch sports on the TV anyway

[Renew Deal]

37. Do the players want to be sequestered for months at a time?

No family or friends?