By Nick Romeo — Reporter
There’s no denying we’re all bored and desperate for professional sports to return so we can get back to normalcy.
Sports vanished along with the rest of our day-to-day lives, and there’s no telling when it will all be over. Our desperation for entertainment has manifested itself in some ludicrous ideas to get professional sports back.
In no particular order, here are some return dates and ideas that have been thrown around.
UFC 249
As sports were being shut down in March as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the country, UFC president Dana White refused to follow. He insisted he would do whatever it takes to ensure UFC 249 would happen on April 18 as planned.
White initially said he would hold the event on a private island. Then he pivoted to another idea and tried to circumvent California’s shelter-in-place order by hosting the event on tribal land at the Tachi Palace Casino Resort.
At first, these ideas all sounded far-fetched and improbable. As the date grew closer with no announcement of UFC 249 being postponed, it almost seemed like White would pull it off.
Eventually White was talked out of his plan by the Walt Disney Company. After fighting off the inevitable for weeks, he finally postponed UFC 249 on April 9.
Until that announcement, part of me was just starting to entertain the idea that this was possible.
MLB Arizona Proposal
This plan would require all players to be in Arizona and quarantined in hotels for the sole purpose of playing baseball.
This idea has been thrown around as MLB’s best solution to get baseball back, and it might be the craziest idea discussed in this article.
What happens if a player tests positive? Are games going to be postponed again?
As badly as everyone wants baseball back, MLB shouldn’t return too early and risk shutting down again. It sounds like a risky plan that involves uprooting the entire league to Arizona.
NHL No Return?
According to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in an article at nbcsports.com, the NHL might not resume the 2019-2020 season.
This may be the most realistic idea being discussed. By anybody.
Realistic in the sense that given the unknown nature of the pandemic, this idea could be the smartest long term move for the league. Cancelling the rest of the season protects the health of the players, and it shows that the NHL is aware of how unpredictable this situation is.
Giving a firm return at this point and time is foolish and shortsighted.
However, it’s crazy to think that the season will be cancelled for what is essentially a natural disaster. Sports have carried on throughout other tragedies such as the 1989 earthquake, hurricane Katrina, 9/11, etc.
The NHL has had a Stanley Cup winner every year except the lockout during the 2004-2005 season when the NHL cancelled the season due to a dispute over renewing the collective bargaining agreement with the players union.
To think that a professional sports league in America is going to cancel their season for anything besides a labor issue is crazy, but that’s where we are right now.
I dislike Bettman just like every other hockey fan in existence, but I’m proud to say the commissioner of my favorite league is actually approaching this issue with a level head.
Bettman was quoted saying this in the article, “I think right now there’s too much uncertainty. Hopefully we’ll all know more by the end of April.”
We all want sports to return. We’re all dying for fresh entertainment, but canceling the season might be the wisest opinion from anyone in weeks.
Follow Nick on Twitter @nromeo12