By Derrick Ow — Reporter
Sports have taken a backseat to real life. It is not because of a natural disaster or going to war, like in the past. But, sports are on the backburner to an invisible enemy known as coronavirus.
I am not going to play the what-if game.
There is so much unknown about this virus that has ultimately shutdown live entertainment. What annoys me the most is when these insiders on sports networks continue to drive a narrative about when sports will resume.
Personally, it feels like they are ignoring what is happening outside of their sports bubble. Healthcare workers are putting in long shifts to take care of patients. There are millions of Americans that are unemployed and staring into an unknown road.
The NFL is praying to the heavens that they start on time. Yes, we are grateful for Tom Brady making headlines for taking his talents to Tampa Bay. We will be grateful for an actual live sporting event next weekend with the NFL Draft. But, those optimistic fans in Cincinnati will most likely not get to see quarterback Joe Burrow play until 2021 when we have an actual vaccine in the United States.
Baseball is trying to get the fairy godmother to make the sport relevant again. If you have not heard, MLB wants to have teams play games in Arizona and Florida but players could not see their families for four months. That idea has gotten some notable push back from players. Flying to Mars is more reasonable than putting players at risk for entertainment.
The NHL is trying to have their playoffs in cities that are least affected by the virus. However, they have had five players test positive for COVID-19. I think we should be worried about how their recovery is going instead of trying to win the Stanley Cup in August.
The NBA, the first professional league to cancel games, wants to have the playoffs go into August. But, there are so many hurdles that stand in front of that Hail Mary idea from happening. Will players be tentative to play with or against players who have tested positive like Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell?
The Olympics have been postponed till next year. All of these athletes who have prepared for three years will have to be patient until 2021 for a chance to stand on top of the podium in Tokyo. San Jose State judo coach Yoshihiro Uchida will have to wait for a storybook trip back to Japan.
The PGA Tour has a loaded fall schedule that includes three of its biggest tournaments, which includes The Masters. It gives us something to look forward to in a dark time.
While we try to flatten the curve and stay six feet apart, sports networks need to stop playing the hypothetical game.
We are all hurting for new sports content. But, maybe it is time to honor the healthcare workers who are putting their lives on the line to save those in need. Because these workers will allow us to return to stadiums and arenas.
2020 was poised to be one of the greatest sporting years on record. Now it has faded into an unknown black hole.
If there are no sporting events for the rest of the year then it will be fine. Because eventually, we will all go back to filling out brackets and watching Stephen A. Smith losing his mind about LeBron James. Now it is time to cheer for a vaccine to hit a walk-off home run.
That will be our greatest sporting moment this year.
Follow Derrick on Twitter @derrickq42