Playing behind closed doors

The National Basketball Association is joining the list of sports event organizers and teams that are taking drastic measures to head off any potential spread of the COVID-19 virus, as the US has started to register rising numbers of infected. Multiple sources in the US have reported that the league sent a memo to all teams asking them to prepare contingency plans, including playing without spectators. They had previously cautioned players to limit their interaction with fans. It is not clear if this includes patrons who own enclosed luxury boxes. The National Hockey League and the US NCAA (whose season is just weeks away) are mulling similar moves. Ironically, NHL games already have a fiberglass barrier between the rink and fans.

These types of reactions are rapidly becoming common. The Chinese Basketball Association understandably suspended its season February. Other leagues in Korea have also been shelved, while sporting events in Italy are being held behind closed. A handful of universities in America have temporarily pulled out of their varsity leagues. In the Philippines, local governments are starting to cancel all large public events, and several concerts by foreign entertainment acts have been postponed. Overall, things are starting to become very quiet, and boring for the voracious Filipino consumer. Some schools are considering simply ending the school year a month early, which implies that they are trying to wash their hands of their students until this – they hope – blows over during the summer. 

The primary impact this will have on teams and sports leagues is in terms of ticket sales (there won’t be any), in-house merchandising, parking revenues and concessions. Promotions inside venues will also cease. And though the games will still be televised, some sponsors may ask for refunds, since TV ads and onsite promo (below the line) activities are often bundled together. This will also take a tremendous amount of energy away from the atmosphere of the sports themselves. Fan reactions are an integral part in the ebb and flow of a game, and athletes feed off it. Home crowds have turned the tide in a raw, synergistic give and take with players. 

Of course, we cannot blame most of the media that follow the story. It is a public service, after all. Of course, it pulls in viewers and page views, and fuels the snowball of interest. But realistically, if you filter through all the noise, a lot of it is hype and hysteria. Some media outlets shout about more than 90,000 cases worldwide, conveniently omitting that more than 90 percent of those are already within China, and – again – the mortality rate is an underwhelming two percent. 

In this writer’s opinion, all of this is an extreme case of overreacting. It appears that everyone who is responsible for large public gatherings is just passing the buck and hoping that someone else will solve the problem for them. 

What is happening is that we are being forced to rethink and be more disciplined about our personal hygiene. Then again, if you already regularly wash your hands, drink plenty of fluids, stay healthy and keep clean, nothing about your lifestyle will change. People temporarily felt safe when they believed that wearing masks blocked the main entry point of COVID-19, but that was also an abdication, an act of giving up. We are being shown that, individually and collectively, we must be responsible for ourselves and each other. We need to be consistent and disciplined. No shortcuts.

Players want to play for the fans, and need the feedback to push them onward. Even in more quiet sports like golf and chess, non-boisterous reactions – even the snidely-coined “golf clap” – are appreciated. But total silence? It leaves the venue flat, quiet, dead. Without the organic sound of a crowd, players would simply be going through the motions. 

What are some other options? In the case of most sporting events or contests, participants are required to submit a doctor’s certificate guaranteeing they are fit to participate, and a waiver that absolves the organizers from culpability should the participant get injured. The former will make attending games untenable. But the latter, perhaps rewritten in an abbreviated form and attached to the ticket, may be workable. If fans individually assert that they are attending of their own free will and are fully aware of any potential risk, that legally liberates the organizer. In the Philippines, though, that may be difficult to enforce.

But if you are intrepid and imaginative enough, this may be the opportunity for innovation. Checking people’s temperatures is one affirmative step. Wearing masks has already been debunked as a safety measure. Waiting for a solution or hoping the problem will inevitably vanish is equivalent to surrendering to an overrated adversary. We can figure this out, until we realize we’re actually just getting carried away.