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Scott Boras on MLB Dispute: 'Don't Privatize the Gains and Socialize the Losses'
It is no secret by now the Major League Baseball faces a hefty labor battle between the owners and players in order to play the 2020 season.
The owners reportedly want to split revenue of a shortened season 50-50, because they will lose a significant amount of money with no fans in attendance.
The players, who already agreed to a prorated salary with the owners in March, view this as a further salary reduction and a type of salary cap being placed on them.
MLB player agent Scott Boras, who has 80-90 major leaguers as clients, joined WFAN’s “Joe and Evan” on Thursday to discuss where things stand between the two sides.
Boras claims he does not know of any revenue sharing plan, but noted that the union has operated on a “no salary cap dynamic” for generations, and that baseball has been a booming business in recent years.
“You don’t see anybody sharing the gains, the billions of dollars that have been brought to the game,” he said. “And they shouldn’t, because they’re the owners, that’s what owners do. You don’t privatize the gains and socialize the losses.
“When we’re in these kinds of environments when there’s a difficulty, a restraint, an issue, that’s something ownership takes the good and the bad with gains and losses and that’s really how ownership works. In this case, the one thing about employees, is they have already made a major concession by making sure that baseball is economically feasible because they’re only paying the players that they pay.”
Boras cited several examples, from the Yankees growing in the billions of dollars in the last decade, to the Atlanta Braves being sold for $450 million and are now worth $1.8 billion, including a $200 million-plus growth from 2016 to 2019.
Yet, it still feels like this could get ugly between the union and the players.
“I think union leadership has done a very good job in getting the voice of the players … and I think they clearly understand when they made that agreement that was a major concession,” he said. “You’re talking about 162 games of $4.5 billion in player salaries. They said, ‘Look, we’re going to work with you in this process.’ … Tony Clark has said publicly, ‘we made an agreement, we’re going to honor the agreement, but we’re not going to alter the agreement because we just freshly did this agreement.’”
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May 14, 2020
Peter King Explains Why He Thinks There Will Be an NFL Season
The future of football, and really all sports for that matter, is pretty unclear at the moment.
No one really knows what is to come with the COVID-19 pandemic, but the NFL is planning to hold its 2020 season as planned.
Appearing on Dale & Keefe Thursday, NBC Sports' Peter King explained why he believes that will actually happen.
“I do. I am pretty bullish on it," he said. "If you listen to my podcast with Dr. Fauci, he believes that there will be football and he thinks also that there should be football. As do I. America needs sports, period. I think that all of reporting, all of the fact-finding, all of the debate, all of the long Zoom meetings that people in the NFL are having and people with all these teams are having — that’s good. All the questioning, just like we’re questioning what about the test taking -- all of that is good.
"Because we are three months away from it mattering at all because I want to you think about this: Nobody cares about the preseason games anyway. Today is May 14, the first game of the regular season is four months from two days ago, the first full weekend is Sept. 13, the first game would be on Sept. 10. We’re four months away from games and really three months away from when teams would really need to start practice to get ready if you’re going to start on time.
"Three months with this disease is really an eternity because just think two months ago I was going out to dinner and shaking hands with people. … So much changes in the span of two months and the NFL really has three months before players have to gather and mobilize and start preparing for the season.”
Currently NFL teams are holding its offseason workouts virtually as no teams are allowed at facilities.
Click here to read King's exclusive interview with Dr. Fauci.
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May 14, 2020
Joe Buck: FOX Likely to Use Fake Crowd Noise for NFL Broadcasts
One of the faces of FOX's NFL coverage has revealed how it will adjust its broadcasts if there's a football season without fans in stadiums next season.
The network will use fake crowd noise in response to action on the field, and is also considering projecting spectators into the empty stands, according to play-by-play broadcaster Joe Buck.
The longtime sports announcer confirmed the unusual measure on Andy Cohen's radio show on Sirius XM on Wednesday, according to Jon Ourand of Sports Business Journal.
"There’s probably going to be a season -- doing games with no fans, which will be difficult," Buck said. "I think Fox, and these networks, have to put crowd noise under us to make it as normal a viewing experience at home."
"Do you think they’ll do that?" Cohen asked.
"I do. Yeah, I think they’ll do it. In fact, I know they’ll do it. It’s pretty much a done deal," Buck said. "I think whoever is going to be at that control is going to have to be really good at their job and be realistic with how a crowd would react depending on what just happened on the field. So it’s really important.
"And then on top of that ... They’re looking at ways to put virtual fans in the stands, so when you see a wide shot it looks like the stadium is jam-packed, and in fact it’ll be empty.”
Buck had previously floated the idea of fake crowd noise on FOX broadcasts in late April on HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. He also took to Twitter on Thursday morning to respond to the media buzz created by Wednesday's comments, highlighting several other previous reports in separate publications suggesting networks would take similar measures.
On Monday, NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci discussed the outlook and potential scenarios for the upcoming season with veteran NFL reporter Peter King. Fauci expressed optimism at the prospect of playing in empty stadiums, but warned a positive test for a player would be a major complication which could force a team into quarantining for 14 days.
May 14, 2020
By the Numbers: Proposed 82-Game MLB Season Could Yield Shocking Results
The 2020 MLB season, if we have one, will be like no other. The latest proposal calls for an 82-game season with Opening Day slated for July 4 or thereabouts. We’ve seen strike-shortened seasons before (the 1994 and ‘95 campaigns, for instance) but the 82-game slate recently laid out by MLB owners would be unprecedented. An unprecedented season to match the unprecedented times we’re living in with America’s coronavirus death toll nearing 100,000.
There’s still plenty to be sorted out—reports indicate the league and its players are far apart on a number of key points with revenue sharing thought to be the most divisive issue. But if MLB does resume play in 2020, an abbreviated 82-game schedule is the best either side could hope for.
It goes without saying that an 82-game mini-season is not at all the same beast as the 162-game war of attrition teams are accustomed to, never mind all the other proposed changes (universal designated hitters, condensed schedules emphasizing divisional play, etc.) MLB players will have to deal with upon their return to the diamond this year. More so than in any other sport, the MLB season is a marathon, a slow burn that rewards strong finishers. We’ve seen stacked teams like the Dodgers and Astros save their bullets for the later months, cognizant that championships are won in October, not May and April.
But that’s a luxury the slow-starters of the world won’t have in 2020. Teams can’t afford to go through the motions this year. Six months is plenty of time to dig yourself out of an early hole, but the breakneck pace of an 82-game sprint won’t be as forgiving.
Obviously, there’s less margin for error in a shortened season, which could put some of the more deliberate, October-minded teams at a disadvantage. But I’m more interested in how the dark horse clubs will affect this year’s playoff calculus. Each year, without fail, we see a handful of seemingly random teams surge to hot starts before inevitably fading down the stretch. But this year, there is no stretch. With fewer games on the proposed 2020 docket, fast-starting Cinderellas that typically get weeded out in the dog days of summer may not have time to cool off. Expanding the playoff field from 10 to 14 teams will only up the chaos ante in what figures to be—assuming this season actually takes flight at some point—baseball’s wildest year yet.
One-hundred-sixty-two games is typically enough time for the cream to rise to the top, but 82 is a much lighter lift (even the hopeless team from Peanuts could string together a decent half-season if they had to) for feisty underdogs like the up-and-coming White Sox and Blue Jays. Of course, that doesn’t mean MLB will devolve into jungle law just because the league is shaving 80 games off its schedule. While the potential for playoff anarchy is higher with an abbreviated slate, good teams tend to be good—and bad teams stay bad—no matter the season length.
To give you a comparison, I compiled the league standings through 82 games for each of the past two seasons with playoff qualifiers in bold:
2018
AL East
1) Boston Red Sox 55-27
4) New York Yankees 54-28
Tampa Bay Rays 41-41
Toronto Blue Jays 39-43
Baltimore Orioles 23-69
AL Central
3) Cleveland Indians 45-37
Detroit Tigers 36-46
Minnesota Twins 35-47
Chicago White Sox 28-54
Kansas City Royals 25-57
AL West
2) Houston Astros 54-28
5) Seattle Mariners 51-31
Oakland Athletics 44-38
Los Angeles Angels 41-41
Texas Rangers 36-46
NL East
2) Atlanta Braves 48-34
5) Philadelphia Phillies 45-37
Washington Nationals 42-40
New York Mets 33-49
Miami Marlins 32-50
NL Central
1) Milwaukee Brewers 48-34
4) Chicago Cubs 47-35
St. Louis Cardinals 42-40
Pittsburgh Pirates 39-43
Cincinnati Reds 34-48
NL West
3) Arizona Diamondbacks 47-35
Los Angeles Dodgers 43-39
San Francisco Giants 42-40
Colorado Rockies 40-42
San Diego Padres 36-46
2019
AL East
1) New York Yankees 54-28
5) Tampa Bay Rays 46-36
Boston Red Sox 44-38
Toronto Blue Jays 30-52
Baltimore Orioles 24-58
AL Central
2) Minnesota Twins 53-29
Cleveland Indians 44-38
Chicago White Sox 40-42
Kansas City Royals 28-54
Detroit Tigers 27-55
AL West
3) Houston Astros 50-32
4) Texas Rangers 46-36
Oakland Athletics 44-38
Los Angeles Angels 42-40
Seattle Mariners 35-47
NL East
2) Atlanta Braves 48-34
5) Philadelphia Phillies 43-39
Washington Nationals 41-41
New York Mets 37-45
Miami Marlins 32-50
NL Central
3) Chicago Cubs 44-38
4) Milwaukee Brewers 43-39
St. Louis Cardinals 41-41
Pittsburgh Pirates 39-43
Cincinnati Reds 38-44
NL West
1) Los Angeles Dodgers 55-27
Colorado Rockies 43-39
San Diego Padres 42-40
Arizona Diamondbacks 41-41
San Francisco Giants 35-47
Now see who actually made the playoffs those years:
2018
American League
1) Boston Red Sox
2) Houston Astros
3) Cleveland Indians
4) New York Yankees
5) Oakland Athletics
National League
1) Milwaukee Brewers
2) Los Angeles Dodgers
3) Atlanta Braves
4) Chicago Cubs
5) Colorado Rockies
2019
American League
1) Houston Astros
2) New York Yankees
3) Minnesota Twins
4) Oakland Athletics
5) Tampa Bay Rays
National League
1) Los Angeles Dodgers
2) Atlanta Braves
3) St. Louis Cardinals
4) Washington Nationals
5) Milwaukee Brewers
Based on two years of data—not the biggest sample size, but enough to paint a basic picture—15 of the 20 teams (75 percent) in playoff position through 82 games finished the job, living to see October baseball. Juggernauts like the Yankees and Braves were largely unfazed, maintaining their pace throughout the season, but there were a few shakeups to the ranks. The Dodgers, who got off to an uncharacteristically sluggish start in 2018, wouldn’t have been in the playoff mix had the season ended after 82 games while the same is true of the 2019 Nationals, who were merely a .500 team at last year’s halfway juncture. Both clubs won their respective pennants with Washington riding World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg to its first title. And to think that neither team would have made the cut had the season’s candle blown out after 82 games.
While the Nats and Dodgers gathered strength down the stretch, the Phillies experienced the opposite phenomenon, collapsing after hot starts the past two seasons. Using Game 82 as a hypothetical dividing line, it’s easy to imagine an alternate timeline with Gabe Kapler (now manning the ship in San Francisco) leading an upstart Phillies squad coming off consecutive playoff appearances. One also wonders if Joe Maddon would still have a job with the Cubs if Chicago had held off the hard-charging Cardinals in the second half of 2019.
In most cases, the 82-game standings weren’t drastically different from the final product, but one seeding change proved fairly significant with Houston edging the Yankees for home-field advantage in the 2019 American League playoffs. It would have been the other way around had the season wrapped up after a tight 82. Would Jose Altuve’s iconic (potentially buzzer-aided) walk-off to beat Aroldis Chapman in Game 6 have played out differently in the Bronx? You could certainly make that argument.
The playoff teams I listed aren’t even a full representation as MLB seems all but certain to adopt a 14-team postseason format for 2020 (that’s one of the few proposals not causing tension between players and ownership). Here’s what the 2018 and ’19 seasons (remember, we’re staring through an 82-game lens) would have looked like with expanded playoffs:
2018
American League
1) Boston Red Sox
2) Houston Astros
3) Cleveland Indians
4) New York Yankees
5) Seattle Mariners
6) Oakland Athletics
7) Los Angeles Angels or Tampa Bay Rays (Rays would host tiebreaker game)
National League
1) Milwaukee Brewers
2) Atlanta Braves
3) Arizona Diamondbacks
4) Chicago Cubs,
5) Philadelphia Phillies
6) Los Angeles Dodgers
7) San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals or Washington Nationals (Giants hold tiebreaker over Cardinals and Nationals, Cardinals hold tiebreaker over Nationals)
2019
American League
1) New York Yankees
2) Minnesota Twins
3) Houston Astros
4) Texas Rangers
5) Tampa Bay Rays
6) Boston Red Sox
7) Oakland Athletics
National League
1) Los Angeles Dodgers
2) Atlanta Braves
3) Chicago Cubs
4) Milwaukee Brewers
5) Philadelphia Phillies
6) Colorado Rockies
7) San Diego Padres
Now this is where things take a turn for the insane. There were tiebreakers galore with the Cardinals, Giants and Nationals somehow finishing in a dead heat for the NL’s fourth and final Wild Card spot in 2018, which would necessitate two tiebreaker games with home-field determined by head-to-head record. In a truly cruel twist of fate (we’re really getting into the weeds here), the Rays and Rangers, who tied for fourth in the AL through 82 games in 2019, actually faced each other at the season’s midway point. The Rangers lost two of three that series, but their win in Game 82 (Tampa Bay claimed victory in Games 83-84) was enough to grant them the superior playoff seed.
One criticism of expanding the playoffs is that it would water down the field with lesser teams perceived as “undeserving.” The playoff-bound Rays and Athletics (both 41-41 through 82 games in 2018) would certainly fit that mold. The 2019 Padres (42-40) weren’t exactly ringers either, but the more the merrier, right?
The data leaves us with little in the way of concrete takeaways, but based on the small, two-year sample size provided, I think we can expect the usual October heavyweights (the Yankees, Astros and Dodgers all have “World Series or bust” mandates) mixed in with a few surprise entries in this year’s playoff field. Whatever the outcome, let’s hope MLB returns quickly so we can stop waking up at the crack of dawn for KBO games to fill our baseball void.
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May 14, 2020
Mark Cuban Says Shaq, Barkley 'Are Wrong', Players 'Want to Play'
I, for one, have been enthralled by what I've seen on some of the ESPN cornhole competitions throughout this stay-at-home period. Recently, seeing a high schooler take down the No. 1 cornhole tosser in the world provided fans with peak live sports excitement relative to what we've been able to experience over the past two months.
But Mark Cuban isn't on the same wavelength.
"We need something to get excited about," Cuban said in an interview on ESPN's Now or Never. "I mean, watching cornhole on ESPN ain't it."
Of course, I too would prefer if there was something to watch other than cornhole, or marble racing, or the occasional UFC bout that I'd prefer not to spend additional money on. But, just as there are several reasons why we should return to sports, there are just as many reasons why we need to wait and exercise extreme caution before doing so.
NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal has openly shared his stance on the matter, saying that he thinks commissioner Adam Silver "should just call it this year... and come back next year" when it's safe to do so in an appearance on The DA Show on CBS Sports Radio. Charles Barkley echoed similar sentiments, telling the hosts of ESPN's The Dan LeBatard Show that "it's too dangerous" and that he's not sure how they'd make it safe enough to carry on.
But Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, disagrees with what the two legends have offered as their thoughts.
"I love those guys but they're wrong," Cuban said. "Guys want to play, there's still a season to be finished out, I still think we can play a few games and then go into the playoffs and crown a champion... let's go, let's play."
Obviously, Cuban is aware of all the safety precautions needed to manage such a season, but he thinks that the NBA has a better chance to do so effectively in relation to other leagues like MLB and the NFL.
"With the NBA it's 15 guys... so it's a little bit easier to keep track of everybody," Cuban said. "The players manage each other. They know which guys is dying to go out and do the wrong thing, so the players will help keep them in line. But when you have 25 on a baseball or 53 on a football team, that's when it starts to get rough.
"So, how it's all managed and how players relate to each other and support each other is going to be critical to making it work."
Commissioner Adam Silver recently met with the league's Board of Governors, and apparently the feeling at the end of the meeting was one of optimism about "momentum toward an NBA return to play this season."
Sources: In discussion with BOG/owners, Silver used the term "campus environment" when referencing what's been called a bubble. Call included significant detail on how other pro sports/leagues -- here and abroad -- are working toward their returns. https://t.co/eVIiZlVxeN— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 13, 2020With a powerful voice like Cuban on the same side, that momentum should continue to grow so long as everyone is in accordance with what measures would need to be taken to ensure the health and safety of the athletes and staff of the league. Apparently, on the player front, LeBron James and Steph Curry are among the stars who are heading a group that would be in favor of restarting the season given the appropriate measures.
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May 13, 2020
Can MLB Season Resume Without Clubhouses? Cal Ripken Thinks So
Baseball is sure to look different when (and if) play resumes following the coronavirus outbreak. With players and teams likely to practice social distancing, or at least to the best of their abilities, the idea of a traditional locker room setting could fall by the wayside. Though unconventional, Orioles great Cal Ripken thinks drastic measures to preserve player safety are necessary at a time like this.
“I think everyone will adjust,” said Ripken during his appearance Tuesday on The Rich Eisen Show. “I don’t know what clubhouse camaraderie is. To me, chemistry and camaraderie is built out there on the field.” Ripken, a Hall of Famer who spent his entire 21-year career with the Baltimore Orioles, remembers a time when MLB clubhouses were buzzing, but those days are mostly over.
Could you have an #MLB season without a clubhouse?@CalRipkenJr wondered with us and talked about camaraderie with some of his former @Orioles teammates: pic.twitter.com/2rs8L7gQCJ— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) May 12, 2020“When I go to a locker room after the game now—and it’s not very often—ten minutes after the game everybody’s gone,” said Ripken of today’s locker-room culture, or lack thereof. “They go their separate ways. They’re in and out.”
Ripken knows challenges lie ahead, expressing that playing in empty stadiums could take some getting used to. “There’s nothing like having that element, that environment,” said the former American League MVP. “That’s the difference in playing in the minor leagues a lot of times in front of hardly anybody and then come to the big leagues and you have to make an adjustment.” But whatever form MLB returns in this year, Ripken is confident players will catch on to changes quickly.
“It will be different,” Ripken conceded. “But I think everybody will respond to the challenge that’s put before them.” With post-COVID locker room access likely to be limited, could we see a scenario where players actually come to the park in their game uniforms? Funny you should ask.
“Brady Anderson, when he lived downtown in Baltimore, he wanted to time it just perfectly so he would rollerblade over in his uniform with sweats over top,” said Ripken, recalling how his former teammate would arrive to Camden Yards. “He made a grand entrance to stretching quite a few times.”
“It would take us back to our amateur days,” said Ripken, envisioning baseball without clubhouses. “Where you’re driving in a car and you go up and play, and you go home.” It won’t be an easy fix by any means, but if baseball hopes to return in any capacity this season, these are the kind of concessions that will have to be made.
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May 12, 2020
Study Says Cable TV Subscribers Have Spent Billions For Live Sports Since March, Though There Haven't Been Any
When you think about your cable TV bill, you usually think of it as a whole, cumulative figure. Well, at least I do.
What I don't consider is that certain channels cost more than others in coming up with the price as a whole. Maybe that's my naïveté, maybe that's normal. In any case, some of the most expensive channels also happen to be some of the most important for our case: the live sports channels.
According to the latest survey by Beta Research, ESPN was the most valuable cable network yet again (h/t Jon Lafayette of Multichannel News). Even for those who subscribe to the most basic level of ESPN -- the amenity we practically consider included in a typical cable set -- they have to pay upwards of $9 per month ($9.06 was the 2017 figure, by far the most expensive cable sports network according to Business Insider). William Parker of Kill The Cable Bill (which is a site devoted to exactly what you'd expect) additionally notes, citing other studies he's performed, that the reason most cable subscribes pay for sports programming is for the live sports aspect. It's not that they don't watch SportsCenter and other programs -- obviously, many people do -- but it's not the primary factor that draws them in.
Since we're not watching any live sports right now, Parker decided to crunch some numbers. Without live sports, how many people are paying for programs without reaping the primary benefit for which they initially subscribed?
The number is staggering. Parker estimated the total cost of sports programming as part of a cable package to be around $20 per month, and with 86.5 million pay-TV households in the US, that comes out to a grand total of $1.73 billion per month. All in all, the two months of no live sports action totals an amount estimated to be around $3.5 billion. Wow.
Parker also embedded the following tweet to show some of the action taken against this fact by notable politicians.
If you don't get to watch live sports then why are you paying to?With the cancellation of all live sports, I called on seven major cable & satellite providers in New York to cut fees for live sporting events & provide critical financial relief for consumers.— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) April 29, 2020To be fair, I'm one of the many sports fans that has been able to consume ESPN's content without paying a cable bill, instead opting to use services like Roku, a Smart TV, an Apple TV, or one of the many potential streaming options available in this day and age. But for the many people that still use cable TV, primarily for live sports access, they're not exactly getting their money's worth.
Who's fault is it? Should people have canceled their subscriptions if they weren't getting live sports out of their ESPN channel package? Should cable companies cut the costs of subscribing to these channels, considering live sports aren't part of the package at this time? Or are channels like ESPN still providing much needed sports entertainment during this time, with replays, specials, and documentaries like "The Last Dance" -- which, by the way, is shattering viewership expectations -- thus making it worth it to pay for the subscription?
You can argue both sides, but regardless, it's interesting to think about.
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May 11, 2020
Nationals’ Closer Has Reservations About MLB’s Return
Sean Doolittle, one of the more thoughtful, articulate minds in the Nationals clubhouse, shared his reservations about baseball returning in a lengthy Twitter screed Monday.
After weeks of speculation, Major League Baseball's 30 owners finally agreed on a return-to-play proposal on Monday, and are now ready to submit it to the MLB Players Association for their approval.
Before the players even consider it, Doolittle wants to know if the following health concerns have been addressed.
Because this is a novel virus, there is still so much we don't know - including the long-term effects. On top of respiratory issues, there's been evidence of kidney, intestinal, and liver damage, as well as neurological malfunctions, blood clots & strokes. https://t.co/rXD3vJRpoH— Obi-Sean Kenobi Doolittle (@whatwouldDOOdo) May 11, 2020LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM AppFollow RADIO.COM SportsTwitter | Facebook I Instagram
May 11, 2020
Top Hockey Minor League Affiliate Cancels Season as NHL Reportedly Focuses on Two Return Plans
The NHL's top minor league affiliate canceled the remainder of its season and playoffs on Monday due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The American Hockey League officially suspended the balance of the 2019-20 season so it can focus on restarting next season, said league president Dave Andrews.
"After a lengthy review process, the American Hockey League has determined that the resumption and completion of the 2019-20 season is not feasible in light of current conditions," a statement said. "The League's operational focus has turned toward actively preparing for the 2020-21 season. We are very grateful to the National Hockey League and its teams for their support and leadership in navigating through the challenges faced over the past two months."
The decision was announced after a vote by the AHL's board of governors, the league said, and marks the first time the league finished a season before naming a champion since its inception in 1936.
The move comes nearly two months to the day that the AHL suspended its season, along with the NHL, on March 12 due to the public health crisis.
An ESPN report noted minor league hockey, unlike the NHL, is driven primarily by gates sales, and with little chance of arenas being full of fans any time soon, it made little sense for the AHL to hold out for a potential return.
Meanwhile, the NHL is reportedly considering two possible paths for a potential return of game action to finish out the 2019-20, according to Newsday.
One such scenario would involve allowing 24 teams to finish off the regular season to determine who reaches the playoffs, as well as seeding. A second proposal would see the league advance directly to its playoffs without finishing the regular season.
The league was previously reported to have been considering a "biosphere" proposal where teams would be sequestered to one of a small handful of cities, with venues closed to fans, where the teams would play all their games without having to travel.
It was unclear whether the AHL decision hinted at any news in the offing from the NHL. From a roster perspective, NHL teams typically have unlimited recalls from the AHL once its season is over, according to the ESPN report.
May 11, 2020
Dr. Fauci: NFL Team Would Need to 'Shut It Down' Given Positive Player Tests
Early last week, Peter King of NBC Sports dropped an ominous remark during an interview on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh.
"Something bad is going to happen to a team that nobody expects."
What that 'bad' thing is was left up to our interpretation, though King offered some possibilities, the worst of which was the hypothetical regarding what would happen if a player, or players, on a team tested positive for coronavirus. If five tests on a team came back with positive results, King proposed, he thought that either the individual players would need to quarantine for two weeks or that the entire team would need to quarantine for the next two weeks. While neither route is particularly ideal, the second option would be a lot worse for a smooth-sailing season.
Based on King's interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci, which he shared in his Football Morning in America column on Monday, it seems that the latter option would be the much more realistic path to take.
"You got a problem there," Fauci said, responding to King's hypothetical in which four players (not five, as in his previous hypothetical) tested positive. "... If you have one outlier [only one player testing positive], I think you might get away. But once you wind up having a situation where it looks like it's spread... you gotta shut it down."
King explained that "shutting it down" would mean quarantining the entire team for 14 days, thus making them incapable of playing their next two games. Would the games be canceled? Postponed? Forfeited? That's something that we simply can't answer right now, as it wasn't one of the clear-cut contingencies added to the schedule, as far as we know.
While just one positive test is something that Fauci figures the team could get away with, so long as continual testing proved that the case was an isolated one, any more than that would mean that multiple players likely could have caught the sickness. If there are four positive tests, for instance, Fauci figures that even those who test negative will eventually show up positive due to repeated exposure.
This is why continual testing is so vital and gives the NFL more hope than other leagues looking to start in the spring or in the summer. King mentioned that Fauci thinks that "the NFL has time on its side", as the virus could decrease significantly throughout the summer, testing should be much more accessible by August or September, and the world will have had more time to research and prepare for the disease by the projected starting point of the football season.
The rest of King's interview with Fauci fluctuated between optimism and pessimism. The nation's foremost expert on coronavirus mentioned, on the one hand, that by August, we should be able to test "millions of people" and that he'd be "very surprised" if the US isn't able to pull that off given all the research and money committed to this virus. However, he says that there's "no doubt the virus is going to return" if it dwindles away over the summer and that the physical contact required in football represents the "perfect set up for spreading."
All in all, the combination of hope and doubt for the future resulted in something that we've grown quite used to by now: the unknown.
"As for the football season and what the fall is going to be: It will be entirely dependent on the effectiveness with which we as a society respond to the inevitable outbreak," Fauci said in summation of all the factors. "...What I'm really saying is it's unpredictable depending upon how we respond in the fall."
Like the prospects of returning to so many other leagues, the problem is larger than just sports. The whole world needs to be on the right track before we can realistically wish for any progress in something as relatively frivolous as our beloved world of sports.
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May 11, 2020
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