Thread by @JohnBranchNYT, This is where I basically throw a bucket of cold water into [...]

This is where I basically throw a bucket of cold water into the faces of fans drunk with hopes of sports coming back soon in any normal way. Enjoy! https://nyti.ms/30UeY1y

Fans Want Sports. Sports Want Fans. But It’s Not That Simple.

Americans are eager to have their favorite sports back. But three months after most leagues shut down, there are only loose plans, good intentions and a nervous hope that it doesn’t go wrong.

https://nyti.ms/30UeY1y

It's not just me. Awoke this morning to news that Dr. Anthony Fauci reiterated his pessimism about NFL games this fall. College football games are already being canceled. 2/ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/17/sports/ncaafootball/coronavirus-college-football-games-canceled.html

First Cancellations Emerge for Major College Football

Four games involving historically black colleges and universities were canceled, in part illustrating an economic difficulty for games played at neutral sites.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/17/sports/ncaafootball/coronavirus-college-football-games-canceled.html

Not to go all Jeff Goldblum, but I wrote this story with his famous Jurassic Park line in mind: Everyone is so worried whether they CAN do it, they're not thinking if the SHOULD do it. 3/

Leagues are anxious to look like they're coming back (can't blame them!), but at best this summer we'll have quarantined single-site tournaments, essentially. When will the major sports have home games (sans fans)? MLB is vaguely floating the idea. Hard to imagine. NFL? Hmmm. 4/

College sports (esp football) are most vexing. So unwieldy! Some suggest testing 3x a week. I'm told the commercial price of test is $130. Multiply something like that by, say, 85 players per team, plus all the staff and support. That's big money -- just for football. 5/

Imagine the uproar if the football team is being tested and quarantined to play games while an outbreak in the college town occurs. There will be fierce debate about allocation of resources. (We saw that when the Utah Jazz got tested in March.) 6/

But even without spikes...as UW epidemiologist/professor Steve Mooney says in the piece, he'll be mad if he's teaching courses online while the football stadium is rocking with people. Or your kid's home while the football team is on campus? The ethics of this are fascinating. 7/

Read the story. Make some comments. Things are getting more real in the sports world, and we'll try to stay on top of the angles. 8//

You can follow @JohnBranchNYT.

Tip: mention @twtextapp on a Twitter thread with the keyword “unroll” to get a link to it.

Latest Threads Unrolled: