Playing In the Bubble

As the NBA and NHL get set to resume their seasons and MLB teams are beginning Summer Camp, the pandemic keeps raging across the U.S., especially in Florida, where the NBA will have its "bubble" at Disney World.  And as players get ready to start playing again in the midst of a pandemic, there's plenty of concern about the number of cases and what will happen after the inevitable positive test.

Players have been given the option of sitting out for health reasons, and a number have taken that option.  Whether it's because of concern for themselves or others, some big names have decided that it's simply not worth it while dealing with a virus that has proven to be nothing if not unpredictable.  Others have tested positive, leading to the questions about what happens if an entire team becomes infected.

All of those are legitimate concerns as we all try to navigate a situation that is completely unprecedented.  But panic and overreaction aren't going to help anything.  There are going to be positive tests.  Everyone understands that.  It's how those positive tests are handled that will really show us whether or not this can work.  Because once they get started, they can't (and shouldn't) shut down again because of one positive.

Back in March, when Rudy Gobert tested positive and the NBA immediately shut down, it was the right decision.  Ever since then, they've been trying to figure out a way to safely return and finish the season.  And their plan to have a "bubble" where everyone was quarantined together with limited outside access to the hotels and arenas certainly seemed like the best option.  (Even if their choice of Florida, while good at the time, looks questionable now.)

The WNBA and MLS also chose Florida for their resumptions.  That's obviously a risky proposition for all three leagues, especially with the spike (which is why MLB teams are training at their home ballparks instead of their Spring Training complexes).  But, they're going to control the environment as much as they can.  Whether or not that makes a difference and helps keep the number of cases at bay remains to be seen.

There are going to be cases.  You'd have to be living in a dream world to think there won't be.  But again, one positive case is not enough of a reason to shut the whole thing down again.  As other leagues around the world have shown, they can keep going despite positive cases as long as they have a plan and do it right.

That's exactly what happened in the Australian Football League.  It was their first or second week back and I was watching a game (sometimes that time difference is a huge benefit) when they cut in to say the commissioner was going to have an announcement immediately after the game.  They eventually confirmed that a player had tested positive.  The only game that was postponed was the one involving his team.  Otherwise, everything continued as scheduled.  They had an effective plan, so there was no need to stop the entire league again.

Likewise, golf has been back for a few weeks and been able to successfully manage its positive cases.  Why?  Because they, too, have an effective plan.  If a player tests positive, he can't enter the tournament.  And last week a caddie tested positive.  The player was negative, but he played his round solo just in case.

It's obviously a lot easier to wear masks and socially distance in golf than it would be in a contact sport like basketball.  But that doesn't mean things need to be different in the NBA's or NHL's approach to a positive test.  Especially with the amount of testing they plan on doing, they'll pretty much know immediately if somebody's positive.  Which will make it that much easier to appropriately deal with it.

Of course, the idea of an entire team testing positive is always going to be there.  That's the reason why the Orlando Pride opted out of the NWSL's return tournament, after all.  And the Edmonton Oilers had four positives once they all reconvened for training camp.  Baseball is especially concerned about that possibility, which, admittedly, seems more likely to happen there since they'll still be traveling from city to city (even with a regional schedule, teams will still be visiting Florida, Texas and California).

So how do they go about it then?  No one knows the right answer!  Every league has released an incredibly detailed health & safety protocol to address as many COVID-related questions as possible, and even those may not be as comprehensive as they could've been.  The truth is it's something they'll deal with when and if they have to, while hoping that won't be the case.  Regardless, though, all of those plans have the same basic premise: one positive test, or even a handful of positive tests, won't shut the league down again.

Bottom line, the prospect of positive tests among players, coaches, staff members and regular people coming in and out of the bubble is very real.  They can set up as controlled a setting as they want.  The can limit movement and require masks and take every other precaution they can think of, and the virus could still break through those walls.  Which is something everyone needs to understand and accept.

No one said this was going to be risk-free.  If they wanted to wait until it was completely risk-free, we wouldn't have any professional sports until 2021.  But, for the players, there's just as much risk of a positive COVID test as there is of any other type of injury.  And, with the number of games being condensed into such a short time frame, those injuries would potentially be season-ending (and possibly extend into next season).

Are "bubbles" and "hub cities" and empty stadiums the perfect solution?  Of course not!  But they sure beat the alternative.  And, with all the effort everyone has put into making sure it works, it's certainly worth the risk.