Goodell overseeing league caught in bubble of confusion
You know the sports world has turned upside down when Dr. Anthony Fauci agrees to throw out the first pitch of the Major League Baseball season pitting the Washington Nationals against the New York Yankees.
Let’s be sure to capture the Orwellian moment featuring Fauci in a mask performing to the fake crowd noise the Nationals and other clubs are rolling with to trick viewers into believing baseball is fun to watch without fans.
America ... what a country.
The NBA already is turning into a freaky reality show as it prepares to hold its playoff season indoors in spite of the virus. The Snitch Line players use to rat out violators of their oath to follow rules aimed at decreasing the spread of COVID while they’re in The Bubble has been the most fascinating show to hit Orlando since The Festival of the Lion King at Disney World. At some point the snitchers and the snitched on are going to be revealed. Wow. You think you know the guys you compete with.
The NHL is so far out there trying to fit its playoffs into Canada and its COVID safety and quarantine plan you wonder when the American players who compete in Toronto and Edmonton will be allowed to return to the States. An FYI for the cats who are part of the action in We’re The North – the Canadian dollar is worth a paltry 74 cents in the states.
Then there is Major League Soccer, which has tried its darndest to step up and lead through example and effort. It’s not working. Televising the games on Twitter is a much more pleasant way of saying that than LOL or own goal.
The NFL, which prides itself on setting the tone, and has had the benefit of observing the above entities before formulating a plan to play despite the virus alienating superstar players.
Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, Drew Brees and Carson Wentz, among others, are communicating their doubts about safety as part of a strategic #WeWantToPlay social media campaign. They don’t want to play until the league bows to such demands as daily testing for COVID, zero preseason games and guaranteed $250,000 stipends for players showing up for training camp and $500,000 stipends if the season begins but is halted by the virus. They’ve never had more leverage than they do now, a chunk of the rank and file still upset commissioner Roger Goodell and the owners haven’t done more to eliminate “systemic racism.” By the way, there are only four minority head coaches in a league where 70 percent of the players are black.
The NFL is a mess, and not very transparent about how it’s doing business amid the uncertainty. Goodell promised transparency while the league navigated through the worldwide health crisis, urging the national TV audience during the NFL draft to come together because, you know, “We’re all in this together.”
Make no mistake, Goodell is on the clock. How does he survive the wrath of the billionaire NFL owners after the record losses they’re going to pile up this season?
Dallas Cowboys boss Jerry Jones almost ousted Goodell before the owners agreed to give The Commish his last contract. If you took a private poll, Goodell might be less popular among the owners than Donald Trump, who is just waiting to rip players who kneel or demonstrate during the playing of the national anthem. In case you wondered, the last time NFL players used their platform to kneel in protest of social injustice, the TV ratings went down. That was in 201617. The ratings have increased in each of the last two seasons.
The NFL plans to follow the lead of MLB teams and pipe fake crowd noise into stadiums because few, if any fans are likely to be allowed into venues. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy recently said the New York Giants and Jets, who play at the Meadowlands, won’t be admitting spectators in the foreseeable future due to virus safety reasons.
There’s doubt that training camps will begin July 28, the date mandated by the NFL, because of various state safety issues. It might take a minor miracle for the season to begin Sept. 10, the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Houston Texans although Chiefs head coach Andy Reid revealed an innovative plan to practice social distancing; i.e. Arrowhead Stadium has been divided in two, the offense on one side, the defense on the other for various instruction and meetings.
At some point, of course, the football players are going to be in each other’s faces, pushing, shoving, sweating and in some cases bleeding on each other. If somebody has the virus, there’s only so much that protective shields, face masks or other precautions can do to prevent the spread of it. That is why players are demanding testing every day.
The NFL could really use a leader able to see the big picture, not somebody who reacts to each crisis. Unfortunately, the owners want a commissioner they can control like a puppet, each owner with his own agenda. That won’t help the league conduct a season.
You won’t know how weird the sports world is until MLB debuts Thursday night when Fauci, a Nationals fan, throws out the ceremonial first pitch in an empty stadium that is home to the defending World Series champion.
It will be the first time since some of the MLB stars heard the umpire say “play ball” since Little League.