On the Bubble
October 11, 2020 4:11 PM Subscribe
The pandemic has transformed playing, watching, and covering big sports. Sam Anderson on What I Learned Inside the N.B.A. Bubble (NYT) and Barney Ronay on Is it too late to halt football’s final descent into a dystopian digital circus?
Absurd as it may seem, the NBA bubble has been generally very successful. It shows that when competent leadership sets stern expectations, a small city's worth of people can keep COVID from getting completely out of hand.
People talk about how "easy" New Zealand or Taiwan have had it because they're island nations, completely discounting the effort and costs they had to bear. But I can look at the NBA, and point to it and say "we could've done it here, too, if we actually gave a shit about it."
posted by tclark at 9:06 PM on October 11, 2020 [17 favorites]
People talk about how "easy" New Zealand or Taiwan have had it because they're island nations, completely discounting the effort and costs they had to bear. But I can look at the NBA, and point to it and say "we could've done it here, too, if we actually gave a shit about it."
posted by tclark at 9:06 PM on October 11, 2020 [17 favorites]
NBA teams are small compared to American Football and baseball teams, and the NBA's television partner happened to own the largest resort/entertainment complex on earth, both of which helped the NBA immensely. Still, they are to applauded for being perhaps the most progressive organization in the US in terms of recognizing and responding to the pandemic early. They also helped develop a rapid COVID test that is now seeing widespread use.
Rapid testing will likely play a huge part in controlling the pandemic. Even more rapid tests than the one the NBA developed will be needed. Here is a link to Michael Mina's rapid testing site. Hopefully that gets more traction because it may allow schools and businesses to replicate the NBA's success on a wider level.
posted by eagles123 at 10:42 PM on October 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
Rapid testing will likely play a huge part in controlling the pandemic. Even more rapid tests than the one the NBA developed will be needed. Here is a link to Michael Mina's rapid testing site. Hopefully that gets more traction because it may allow schools and businesses to replicate the NBA's success on a wider level.
posted by eagles123 at 10:42 PM on October 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
The NHL has a roster size about the same as baseball (still half the NFL though), and they are the poor sibling of the major leagues, and they accomplished a bubble that had not a single positive test amongst 24 teams. The players thought there was room for improvement in the amenities, but the league managed to do job 1 of not spreading the pandemic and also job 2 of producing a credible champion and some entertaining hockey. I've been impressed with the league during the pandemic, to be honest. The NHL has proven they can be relied on to do the right thing.
Provided the NBA did the right thing the day before, of course.
posted by Superilla at 11:20 PM on October 11, 2020 [17 favorites]
Provided the NBA did the right thing the day before, of course.
posted by Superilla at 11:20 PM on October 11, 2020 [17 favorites]
I am not a follower of US sports at all but have really been enjoying some NBA and WBNA bubble vlogs (thanks cashman for introducing me to them!)
JaVale McGee
Matisse Thybulle
Aerial and Azuré Rae
posted by ellieBOA at 1:36 AM on October 12, 2020 [3 favorites]
JaVale McGee
Matisse Thybulle
Aerial and Azuré Rae
posted by ellieBOA at 1:36 AM on October 12, 2020 [3 favorites]
I enjoyed watching the first couple of matches in La Liga, where the silence of an empty stadium meant you could hear the players and coaches yelling instructions and encouragement to each other. But then Spanish television decided that it was just too sad, and so now they digitally overlay a fake crowd texture onto the empty stands, and add fake crowd noise. It has the same artificial feeling as a laugh track.
posted by fuzz at 3:27 AM on October 12, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by fuzz at 3:27 AM on October 12, 2020 [5 favorites]
The most telling thing to me is how seriously the NBA, where players have lots of power, took player safety compared to the NFL, where players have very little power and have never had serious consideration of their safety even pre-covid. The NBA had a serious attempt at safety with rules and enforcement and a general consensus on what needed to be done from top to bottom. Meanwhile the NFL can't even manage to get coaches to keep their masks on for the duration of a single game. I think I have seen a total of 3 NFL coaches manage to wear a mask properly. It really drives home some of the major cultural and political splits in America.
posted by srboisvert at 3:45 AM on October 12, 2020 [11 favorites]
posted by srboisvert at 3:45 AM on October 12, 2020 [11 favorites]
I really enjoyed the piece on the NBA bubble, especially as a piece of writing about what it's like to be a sports fan.
It took me until the first picture of football players to realize the other piece wasn't about American football. Embarrassingly slow on the uptake there.
posted by Orlop at 5:56 AM on October 12, 2020
It took me until the first picture of football players to realize the other piece wasn't about American football. Embarrassingly slow on the uptake there.
posted by Orlop at 5:56 AM on October 12, 2020
Yep, I should have made that clearer in the post! I also thought the NBA piece was very well-written.
posted by adrianhon at 6:33 AM on October 12, 2020
posted by adrianhon at 6:33 AM on October 12, 2020
"I was skeptical, but the NBA bubble actually worked. It’s a testament to human ingenuity and resilience how quickly we can reinvent things and get people back to work, safely and effectively, when a group of billionaires has a direct financial stake in making it happen."
https://twitter.com/jameshamblin/status/1315495324614635520?s=03
posted by zerobyproxy at 7:13 AM on October 12, 2020 [3 favorites]
https://twitter.com/jameshamblin/status/1315495324614635520?s=03
posted by zerobyproxy at 7:13 AM on October 12, 2020 [3 favorites]
we were given electronic sensors to wear around our necks so that if we stood closer than six feet apart the sensors would flash and beep
How do I make or purchase this device?
posted by aniola at 8:36 AM on October 12, 2020
How do I make or purchase this device?
posted by aniola at 8:36 AM on October 12, 2020
The NHL also did their two playoff bubbles outside the United States.
posted by cmfletcher at 8:45 AM on October 12, 2020
posted by cmfletcher at 8:45 AM on October 12, 2020
They went on strike. I loved the ending of the basketball story:
Arenas would be converted into polling places for the 2020 presidential election. On TV broadcasts, advertising spots would be devoted to addressing social-justice issues.
posted by aniola at 8:48 AM on October 12, 2020
Arenas would be converted into polling places for the 2020 presidential election. On TV broadcasts, advertising spots would be devoted to addressing social-justice issues.
posted by aniola at 8:48 AM on October 12, 2020
How do I make or purchase this device?
Kinexon Safezone. Good luck getting it and outside a so-called bubble won't do much good as everyone has to be wearing one. It uses UWB and TOA calculations to calculate distance.
posted by geoff. at 1:21 PM on October 12, 2020
Kinexon Safezone. Good luck getting it and outside a so-called bubble won't do much good as everyone has to be wearing one. It uses UWB and TOA calculations to calculate distance.
posted by geoff. at 1:21 PM on October 12, 2020
In Matisse's latest vlog he announced he was doing a voiceover for an ESPN documentary about the NBA bubble.
posted by ellieBOA at 2:27 AM on October 13, 2020
posted by ellieBOA at 2:27 AM on October 13, 2020
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posted by geoff. at 6:39 PM on October 11, 2020 [2 favorites]