Will COVID-19 be the needle that finally bursts the sports bubble?

Yep. Dance with the one that brung ya.

 

I don’t think it’s as simple as the owners punting because of empty stadiums. The owners and the league want to get as much of the mega TV dollars as they can. And the players want their money for half a season.

It might well fall apart for many reasons. But they will give a legitimate effort to try to play.

 

Trust me, the owners will weigh the math. Whichever route they choose will decide the outcome — TV revenue vs. gate, parking and concessions. I think we all know who's footing the bill.

 

Blake Snell, as annoying as he is, put it correctly when he said something to the effect of, "You want to pay me less to take on more risk to my health? I'd rather not play." Why the fuck would the players agree to such a deal? It's lunacy.

 

Snell is taking way more shit for his comments than he deserves. I get that people will bristle at a guy complaining that he doesn't think the risk is worth playing for just $2 million a year... but I don't want to hear those complaints from Mike Greenberg and his $6.5 million salary.

 

I give Snell credit in that he acknowledged immediately that his comments were going to sound greedy and, at the surface, they do. He's not the most eloquent speaker. But he's right.

MLB is proposing a pay cut beyond the prorated portion of the players' salaries. There's virtually no way for the players (along with umps and staff) to maintain social distance. So they're all exposing themselves to health risks and, on top of that, the players are being asked to do it for less money. Why would they? For love of the game? It's a fucking game. If ever, in the history of baseball, there has been a reason for players to refuse to play, this is it.

And I say that as someone who wants baseball back in the worst fucking way. I miss the shit out of it.

 

This happens quite a bit in volleyball and tennis non-conference competition. You'll see a four-team round robin happening at one site quite a bit where everyone plays each other. Might be worth exploring if that makes sense in conference competition in some leagues to cut down on travel. Instead of Virginia Tech going to UNC and Duke and hosting UVa, maybe all four come to Blacksburg for a weekend and you knock out three conference matches at once.

 

Explain why the scoreboard video is prohibited.

 

I had no problem watching Bundesliga without crowd noise. Fox had a problem early as PA sounds were completely drowning out their announcers. They had mics around the player benches and I think it was a completely adequate substitute.
The NASCAR event didn't seem different to me, but I am not a NASCAR guy.
The golf was 100x better without crowds. No Baba Booey, no Mashed Pototoes, and no U DA MAN!! Complete win. It cannot be emphasized enough how much better it was without crowds.

 

"Tiger!... tiger! TIGER!....Tiger!..Tiger!.....TIGER!.. tiger!"

 

Disagree. There is nothing positive that golf crowds do that overcomes the insipid BA BA BOOEYS after tee shots (and occasionally during tee shots).
Mic 'em up like they did yesterday, and the net gain for yesterday is even greater.