A dash of sobering reality for sports

The sobering news came about 21⁄2 hours into a lengthy Santa Clara County board of supervisors meeting, conducted virtually Tuesday.

Dr. Jeffrey Smith, the Santa Clara County executive officer, was discussing when orders for sheltering at home would be lifted. He was talking about medical risks and ethical decisions.

And then he dropped this into his discussion.

“I’m sorry to say, I don’t expect to have any sports games until at least Thanksgiving, and we’d be lucky to have them by Thanksgiving,” Smith said. “This is not something that’s going to be easy to do.”

Smith’s words were significant because a) they came from the county that has earned national, welldeserved praise for its aggressive, proactive steps to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

And b) because they came in the home county of the San Francisco 49ers.

As well as the San Jose Sharks, the San Jose Earthquakes, and several collegiate athletic programs, like Stanford, San Jose State and Santa Clara.

The 49ers declined to comment specifically on Smith’s remarks and pointed to the team’s earlier statement on the coronavirus outbreak, which

said, in part, “Our intent is to make the most informed decisions regarding the health and wellness of all San Francisco 49ers and Levi’s Stadium employees, patrons, and the community at large . ... We are in close contact with the NFL and event organizers to gather and share pertinent updates when appropriate.”

But “lucky to have them by Thanksgiving” is a far cry from the rosy picture President Trump tried to paint last weekend, when he reportedly told sports executives on a conference call that he’d like to see games by August and have the NFL start up in September. That he wants sports “sooner rather than later.”

Smith’s words open up many questions. Because there is no national policy, decisionmaking has been left up to municipalities, which is how Santa Clara County became a leader in this fight.

But a league like the NFL must have a unified policy.

At the moment, the NFL is operating as though it doesn’t live in the same world most of the rest of us occupy. The league is going ahead with its draft in two weeks. It still says it will release its 2020 schedule no later than May 9. The Pro Football Hall of Fame exhibition game is on its schedule for Aug. 6. The NFL’s executive vice president, Jeff Pash, recently said he expects the league to begin on time.

But at least one of its teams may not have clearance to play at home until Thanksgiving, more than twothirds of the way through the regular season. And, if recent history tells us anything, the decisions made in Santa Clara County will be followed by others.

Science speaks louder than wishful thinking.