What if someone dies? A question no one wants to ask
What happens if sports come back and somebody dies from COVID-19? Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner asked that question in this accompanying story by Mike DeFabo. Florida Panthers defenseman Anton Stralman asked it during an interview with The Athletic. Everyone in sports, from the owners who could face liability to the players, coaches and support people who will be on the front line, should be asking it.
“Is it worth it?” Stralman asked. There already has been a death in sports from the coronavirus. A coach in the Nicaraguan baseball league died May 21. Eight other people were treated for COVID-19, forcing the league to shut down for three weeks. It had no choice because the players were afraid to play. It should be noted the league didn’t take the pandemic seriously in its early stages.
We’ve seen positive tests in the brief time sports has been back or is trying to come back. The Penguins announced Thursday one of their players was infected. They didn’t identify him, said he wasn’t in Pittsburgh and said he has recovered and is feeling
“I know I’m in one of the higher-risk categories. But you know what? I’d rather manage and take the chance than just sit at home.”
well. Two players on the Yomiuri Giants tested positive in the Japanese baseball league, prompting the cancellation of an exhibition game. Two Marshall football players and a staffer tested positive. So did an Oklahoma State linebacker after he participated in a rally in Tulsa.
Each player is going to have to decide if coming back is the right thing for him. Athletes, like everybody else, want to be paid. But at what risk to their health? COVID-19 has killed more than 107,000 Americans.
I’m pretty sure Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey speaks for the majority of athletes, many of whom think they are indestructible.
“None whatsoever,” Pouncey said when I asked him if he has health concerns about starting the football season. “We’re young and strong and healthy. I don’t see too many 60-yearolds out on the field …
“We’re a working country. We’ve been locked in for too long. We need to get back to work.”
I get that.
But what about the coaches? Six in the NFL are at least 60 years old, Seattle’s Pete Carroll the oldest at 68. What about staff members?
NBA commissioner Adam Silver told TNT’s “Inside the NBA” on Thursday that he is considering not allowing older coaches on the bench during games because they won’t be able to practice social distancing. San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich, at 71, is the league’s oldest coach. Four others are at least 60.
Baseball’s Terry Francona is doubly at risk. He’s 61 and has a long history of heart and circulation issues. He isn’t more likely to come down with COVID-19 than anyone else, but, if he does, he could be facing serious challenges in beating it.
“I know I’m in one of the higher-risk categories,” said Francona, the Cleveland Indians manager and a New Brighton native. “But you know what? I’d rather manage and take the chance than just sit at home. That’s how I feel. I love baseball. I miss it so much. We had a meeting with the players on a Zoom call and I told them, ‘Man, I
— Terry Francona
miss you knuckleheads.’ I won’t hesitate to come back and be a part of it.”
It’s not just older people in and around the games who could be at risk. Stralman, 33 and a veteran of 818 NHL games, has dealt with bronchiectasis, which prevents mucus from being cleared from his lungs. “I don’t know how my body will react if I get the virus,” he told The Athletic.
I’m betting a lot of other athletes have health issues. Diabetes, as just one example. The MLB Players Association is negotiating with the owners to clear the way for players with preexisting medical conditions to be able to sit out the season and still get paid. Those who don’t have conditions but aren’t comfortable coming back could sit out without pay.
Stralman said he is concerned for his health even though the NHL has said it will test every player every day.
“It would be terrible if we fly into hub cities and start playing and maybe one of the workers in the building gets it. It’s not just the 50 guys on our team. There’s a lot of people that need to be there to make this work. If some of those people get sick and potentially die from that, who is responsible? And is this something I want to be a part of? It’s about the safety, not just for me but everyone involved. That raises a lot of questions on if we should do this thing. If we do, would there be price to pay for it? I’m not sure that’s the right thing to do.”
The teams and their medical people will do their best to keep everyone healthy, but no one can guarantee safety from the virus. People in and around the games, for sure, will test positive. Each sports league has admitted that. It figures to be proceed-at-your-ownrisk for the players, coaches and all of the support people. Maybe they will have to sign a waiver to play or be involved in case, heaven forbid, someone gets really sick and dies.
Sports are inching closer to returning, but they still have many miles to go.