It Won't Be Perfect, but Live Sports are the Morale Booster We All Need

America needs professional and collegiate sports to return as a source of content and happiness as soon as possible. Outside of sports fans, the economy needs this vital sector to resume. Two weeks ago, I wrote about various start-up proposals for the NBA, MLB, and NHL. Some government leaders and mass media seem to be in competition for who can project the most dire consequences in regards to a return to normalcy in a time of coronavirus. As Americans sit at home and are continuously soaking in projection after projection of deaths and increased COVID-19 cases, the anxieties of Americans in isolation continues to build. Some government figures don't want sports to resume until 2021, while other leaders have said it will not be safe to attend live sports until 2022 when "herd immunity" is achieved.

Everyone of good faith wants to take rational steps to control the spread of this contagion. But the calculation of when to start up again is presented as a binary choice between no new cases and no deaths and the startup of the American economy. There are 23 million people that are out of jobs and the unemployment rate sits at a rapidly growing 18 percent. The nadir of unemployment during the Great Depression of the 1930's was 25 percent and we will arrive there soon at the current rate. A depression means real suffering for the entire population.

There are almost 300 million Americans doing their civic duty and are safely quarantined and compliant with the stay at home orders, which has been absolutely amazing. The American people have rallied together through adhering to the local government mandates. In return, they should be given a glimmer of hope and normalcy, not the continued messages of gloom and doom. 

Meaning no disrespect for the real suffering of victims but quarantining has also created victims in massive numbers as well. Stimulus spending does little to ease the inability of millions to pay their bills. Rates of alcoholism, drug abuse, domestic violence, depression and mental illness will take away the quality of life. Had former President Franklin Roosevelt not created a creative group of federal programs to allow people to work again, there might have been a revolution of farmers and working people in the United States. The numbers of coronavirus victims are starting to plateau in a number of parts of the country and perfection cannot be the ultimate goal.

The proposals for a startup of professional sports contemplate testing and the quarantine of athletes in a single location. The question of when fans can attend sporting events is largely a medical decision. At this current stage, there is no real suggestion of opening stadiums for full attendance. Perhaps a partially filled stadium where fans embrace social distancing is appropriate. A seating chart could be designed that could spread the crowd out.

Taking live attendance out of the equation, this country needs the morale boosting return of our favorite sports as radio and television entertainment. Something to rally around and bring us together, a shared experience from the safely quarantined homes of millions of Americans. I would feel the same way if instead of representing athletes, I was a corporate lawyer. We can work through these changes together. It may not be how we’re used seeing sports, but it’s time to compromise and make it work with all of its imperfections.

This is a democracy and more viewpoints need expression. Let’s get on the positive side of the conversation and talk about how we can get creative, adapt to the situation and get live sports back in to the homes of millions of Americans doing their part to get this country back on its feet.