Pro and College Sports Updates in Lieu of Coronovirus

[Shadowlight]

I wanted to consolidate a list of what is going on.

Before I present the list which most of you I imagine know a couple of comments.

This is the worst hit the world of sports has taken in my lifetime. It makes past walk outs from MLB,NBA,NFL and the NHL look like child's play. And even the NCAA Tournament played during World War II.

As a result a lifetime diehard rabid you name it sports fan like me this is beyond awful. I cherish watching and thinking about sports in my free time so if you see on the news some dude from CT who dies from Wretched Boredom Syndrome you can safely assume it was me.

I also should mention depending on how long this virus curve lasts this site could be in danger of extinction. Not up to me but master Don has mentioned from time to time about lack of postings and while I do post a lot if major sports leagues are inactive it will be I imagine difficult for many of us to post. That said the hope is this very grim situation needs to be resolved. The key is in the numbers. As long as the virus cases and deaths move upward widespread panic etc. will continue. Once it hits a plateau and winds down people will be able to relax. The hope is that happens sooner rather than later.

Below is a quick list of what is going on in each sport.

NBA- before a surreal and frankly depressing Wednesday night the league postponed the season. I believe they said for at least a minimum of 30 days.

NHL-Once the NBA postponed it was obvious the NHL would follow suit. Some of the teams share the same arenas.

MLB-Announced they will postpone the start of the season by at least two weeks. A summer without baseball would be unbearable. Minor leagues will take their cues from MLB.

MLS-Postponed their season and like the NBA/NHL will see how things go in the future.

NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament-Cancelled. They started some conference tournaments Wednesday and dictated that starting today games would be played without crowds which they already announced for the Big Dance. But things fell apart plus Duke and Kansas pulled out too. I feel bad for these young athletes especially the small schools who get their one chance in the sun and the top teams who had title aspirations.

NCAA Spring sports-Cancelled. This has more implications than one would think. Will they extend eligibility for seniors? In a sport like baseball that feeds MLB how does this affect the draft status of players? Talk about a tough situation. And for our Track and Field junkies this isn't good news for up and coming athletes like Matthew Boling. The remaining winter sports of course have been cancelled as well so no Wrestling Championships etc.

I also should mention a lot of high school sports have been stopped dead cold. And the McDonalds boys and girls All American games have been cancelled. I was so looking forward to watching the bevy of white girls play, especially the dynamic ( and first high school girl to be featured on the cover of SLAM magazine) Paige Bueckers.

LPGA-Cancelled upcoming tournaments and postponing their first major which is a few weeks away.

Tennis-They got the ball rolling with the Indian Wells cancellation and since then have cancelled some more events. The Italian Open is around the bend and you can finish that sentence. The French Open at this point looks in danger. This is tough. Tennis is taking a huge hit and the entire season is up in the air.

The Summer Olympics-Has not been formally cancelled or postponed. I think they will probably make an announcement in late April. Not an exaggeration to say the entire world is praying and keeping their fingers crossed on this one.

Is there any good news? Sort of.

I think the Premier League (English League soccer) will carry on this weekend but the future is still cloudy. Other European leagues vary. Obviously Italy is in full shut down mode and I believe the top German League ( televised on FS1) is being played in empty stadiums. Perhaps the Premier league is doing the same?

NFL Draft-I suspect they won't cancel the draft even if they cancel the Las Vegas fan crowd gathering. I can't imagine them delaying it since they need to get these rookies in place so I would be shocked if ESPN and the NFL network don't cover the draft live. And since pro days are in progress it will give us something to post about.

NASCAR-For now they will race in front of empty crowds.

PGA-Probably the easiest sport to carry on without crowds. They played today and I suspect they will not cancel the Masters.

Barren landscape folks. The NBA and the NHL can still save their seasons but only time will tell.

 

[Arerequired]

Many mma and possibly boxing events are also postponed. Possibly even the big Tony-Khabib fight.

 

[Shadowlight]

Thanks for that info on those two contact sports.

The Premier League games this weekend are apparently not a done deal. An Arsenal manager tested positive and the league is meeting on Friday concerning the upcoming games. That sucks. I was going to give soccer my full attention this weekend. See what happens after the league meeting?

Late edit. The PGA just scrapped current tournament and the next few up until the Masters at least.

Also XFL has suspended play.

 

[Don Wassall]

The PGA caving by postponing The Players is pathetic in lieu of no players or caddies testing positive for the virus, which is of little danger to those who are not elderly or have compromised immune systems. The Players went from the first round taking place today in front of galleries, to the second through fourth rounds being played without spectators, to being postponed entirely. The first step makes sense, but not canceling the tournament itself. I was watching PGA commish Jay Monahan quite a bit tonight and he wasn't convincing; he comes across as a cuck/white knight type. But then again just about all the White men left in positions of authority fit that description these days.

 

[white lightning]

There is a saying. You don't know what you have till it's gone. Usually that is about a relationship but this is similar.

I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone. I miss my sports. It really is such a great escape from this evil wicked world we live in.

 

[icsept]

Am I the only sane person in this world? We’re supposed to believe there’s a rational reason to cancel a high school baseball game in response to a “global pandemic.” This is an exercise to find out how stupid the populace is while big corporations, the media, and the government grow their power and control over the sheeple. Of course the major sports are going along with the agenda. They’re the bread and circuses department of the control grid and are a useful tool to promote all of the big psyops, hoaxes, and social engineering.

 

[skinnylegsandall]

Predictive programing anyone?
Here is 5 page thread about corona virus,this focuses on the last page.Be sure and scroll down
to the bottom and see the tool Madonna's predictive programing
http://www.cluesforum.info/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=2132&sid=5f581f4504932584433d742ccc6c683b&start=60

 

[Bucky]

UFC is still going with their event in Brazil. Fights with no fans in attendance, how absurd.

 

[Don Wassall]

Predictive programing anyone?
Here is 5 page thread about corona virus,this focuses on the last page.Be sure and scroll down
to the bottom and see the tool Madonna's predictive programing
http://www.cluesforum.info/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=2132&sid=5f581f4504932584433d742ccc6c683b&start=60

Interesting stuff and I am open minded about everything these days, though must admit the numerology aspects I find unconvincing. But, what is the point of it as predictive programming? Why is all that necessary? I've seen enough exposes of Bryant to believe he may have been a satanist, as many public figures, athletes (especially lionized black ones) and Hollywood actors seem to be, but if he didn't die in a helicopter crash, what is he doing now? Living the rest of his life on a kibbutz somewhere in Israel? It's hard to believe he would want to end his cushy life to be a martyr for a virus, and no one in the current atmosphere of panic cares if Kobe figures into it or not.

 

[Booth]

This helicopter looks similar to the ones used in Viet Nam for search and rescue. Chopper pilots in Nam were some of the bravest people I met we lost a lot of skilled pilots and for what?

 

[werewolf]

UFC is still going with their event in Brazil. Fights with no fans in attendance, how absurd.

"Today’s UFC event in Brazil will proceed without spectators."

https://fightnews.com/studio-shows-are-likely-boxings-short-term-answer/71319

 

[Old Scratch]

Many mma and possibly boxing events are also postponed. Possibly even the big Tony-Khabib fight.

That would be like the 5th time that matchup was canceled. Cursed fight.

 

[FootballDad]

Aaaaaand now the Olympics have been POSTPONED from 2020 to next Summer, 2021. Hopefully we are still alive then with The Stand virus killing everyone.

 

[Shadowlight]

If sports leagues somehow decide to play again without crowds then I have an idea. That some half wit like me can come up with something only reinforces the idea of the overall slowness and stupidity out there in the world. People need to think outside the box.

Keep in mind the scenario I am bringing up only applies if the leagues start up without any fans in the stands. We could see a situation where fans are spaced out and that would probably cover the bases for the time being.

Playing sports without fans for the most part presents a jarring lack of atmosphere. It will hollow out the experience and make it seem like we are watching a glorified scrimmage. So I thought to myself how best can they approximate having a crowd.

Some think offering simulated crowd noise is one approach but that sounds too synthetic to me. Of course adding a "virtual" crowd to the stands will give the impression that fans are in the stands but that is a feeble putting lipstick on a pig type of thing.

I have a better solution until things get back to normal. And keep in mind they are feverishly working on drugs ( some are outside the box) that might tamp down the virus which will give breathing room until a vaccine is furnished. New studies are showing neurological problems which suggests they are still grappling with this sucker. I still feel something will emerge within the next few months. Which means leagues might be able to play in front of crowds whether full or spaced before a vaccine is available.

I haven't heard this mentioned but I have to assume I am not the only human being on the planet who has thought of this and bear in mind I am a technological novice. But a couple of things made me think of it.

I remember the day QB Josh Allen got drafted ( you can substitute any sports rooting bar crowd) and they were having a watch party in Wyoming at a bar. Mainly young rowdy young people who lustfully cheered when they watched Josh get selected by the Bills. You could feel the atmosphere.

Couple that scenario with these music concert montages we are seeing on TV these days where a bunch of musicians in separate spaces join together and play music without a hitch.. We can see each musician can be seen in their box. Maybe 30-40 boxes are seen as one watches them all play.

I'll draw up the scenario. Let's say Michigan is playing Iowa in football. Each team will feature a big box of 50 or maybe a lot more ( and not all the boxes have to have just one person) over the internet, like they do in the music collages. ( Zoom type of thing). The audio of each fan(s) in a box will be piped into the broadcast and serve as a "substitute" for fans in the stands. From time to time the broadcast can zoom in on these fan boxes etc. but the key is to keep the fan "noise" rumbling throughout the telecast. It won't exactly sound like a big crowd and more of a barroom type of noise but it beats having no crowd noise background at all. And perhaps some simulated crowd noises can be slipped in as a supplement as well.

The point I am making is if they feel it is safe enough for sports to continue but not with fans then I think the idea above helps mitigate to a decent degree ( not perfect of course) concerns that the games will lack the atmosphere of fans. Plus if they determine it isn't worth playing games without fans in the stands this offers a good alternative that allows for them to move forward.