Sports fans got the rona blues

crying sports fan meme

The impact of coronavirus on various sports has been covered thoroughly in the news lately:

• Al Jazeera and Wikipedia are tracking global impacts to sports around the world.
• Brazil needs to reconsider plans to restart football (soccer) too soon.
• CBS Sports: No sports in France until September; NBA to reopen practice facilities May 8.
• CNN looked at how major US sport leagues are responding to the crisis.
• E-sports could save post-olympics Japan.
• Fauci wants baseball back for mental health of nation; urges caution with sports.
• High Point Rockers minor league baseball club served meals to front line workers and emergency personnel on team’s scheduled opening day.
• How might coronavirus impact college football?
• Kansas volleyball player came up with ingenious way to practice in isolation.
• NASCAR may return sooner than other sports.
• NFL commissioner Goodell may be more likable after successful NFL draft and voluntary salary loss.
• Quarantined sportscaster announced play by play of dog eating. 
• Roughly half of sporting events cancelled during crisis; reactions reported.
• Tunisian referee issued red and yellow cards to people for not properly distancing.
• USA Today explored tennis social distancing.
• USA Today pondered baseball's pandemic workaround as a permanent solution.

  

In non-sport related developments… Forbes recently identified 3 pieces of information helpful to consider before returning to work or school:

# 1: Staying home helps save lives but it doesn’t kill the virus. As states reopen, cases will continue to rise. It will happen so be prepared, emotionally as well as physically. Be safe by keeping at least 6 feet from others, washing hands regularly, and wearing a mask.

# 2: We’re in this for the long-haul. Coronavirus will persist until there is either (a) a vaccine or (b) “herd immunity,” whereby two-thirds of the nation (about 200 million people) become infected, recover and develop the appropriate antibodies. Herd immunity could take at least a year if it is possible at all. 

# 3: Our nation is ignoring an important metric: R0 (pronounced “R naught”) is a number that indicates the contagiousness of an infectious disease like COVID-19. R0 indicates the average number people who will likely contract a disease from one contagious individual. This number is far more informative than confirmed cases or death counts, especially in a country where testing availability and data lag are persistent problems. Early data suggests the R0 of COVID-19 is between 2.5 and 3.0. However, the actual number depends not only on the biology of the disease but on the actions people take. Physical distancing, hand washing, mask wearing and other safety measures help to lower the R0.

More than 90% of Americans have been under stay at home orders for several weeks. Some are growing frustrated, eager to reopen the economy as soon as it is safe to do so. If we move ahead too quickly, we risk losing lives unnecessarily. If we move too slowly, we also risk unnecessary deaths.

Bottom line: Allowing panic or politics to push our nation too far in any direction is not helpful. Instead, we can proceed with caution and find the middle ground between the two extremes. 

In the spirit of sharing softer news and/or silly vibes:

• Crowded House performs Don’t Dream It’s Over from home in their pajamas.
• Garden gnome knits love and positive vibes in twitter GIF.
• John Fogerty performed quarantine concert, plus his classic Centerfield.
• LSSC: Alternative sports gain popularity during shutdown.
• LSSC: ESPN adjusts programming schedule during  coronavirus crisis.

  

Daily pandemic update:  

Russia registered a record number of coronavirus cases for the third day in a row as 7,933 more people tested positive for the virus, bringing the total to 114,431. A US watchdog warned Afghanistan is likely facing a "health disaster" from the pandemic due to a weak health-care system, widespread malnutrition, porous borders, massive internal displacement, contiguity with Iran, and the ongoing conflict. Pakistan's parliament speaker Asad Qaiser said he tested positive for COVID-19 after hosting an iftar dinner to celebrate Ramadan.  Aljazeera.com timeline

  

2 May 2020	Cases		Deaths		Recovered
10:24 GMT*	Yesterday	Today	Yesterday	Today	Yesterday	Today
World	3,325,633	3,415,632	234,497	239,826	1,052,024	1,087,567
US	1,095,304	1,131,492	63,871	65,776	155,737	161,563
NY	310,839	315,222	23,780	24,069	49,405	50,567
CT	27,700	28,764	2,257	2,339	65	65
NC	10,755	11,071	406	419	1,808	1,808

*Documenting time of day because real time data updates continuously.
Tracking specific states:  NY is US epicenter, son Reid lives in CT, and I live in NC. 
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/     https://www.coronainusa.com/  

A moment of silence for those we’ve lost to coronavirus, including the first 100 in the US.

In the news:  

• Bill Gates explained the importance and urgency of developing a coronavirus vaccine.
• Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau banned all assault style firearms.
• CDC updated guidance for animals and pets; avoid dog parks and group interactions.
• GA suspended road test requirement for drivers licenses during crisis; reopen experiment continues.
• Experts predict how coronavirus will change the way people travel.
• #GAHospitalityTogether: 120+ Atlanta restaurants remain closed despite Gov Kemp reopen plan.
• Joe Biden denied Tara Reade’s allegations; relevant records disputed though Obama team found no red flags during VP vetting process.
• Nazis joined approximately 500 protestors during ReOpen Illinois rally.  
• North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reportedly made public appearance at factory opening.
• NYC Mayor DeBlasio apologized for anger following large Jewish funeral.
• NYC subways to be closed for 4 hours each night so trains can be disinfected.
• Pandemic could accelerate demise of cable tv as more consumers cut cord.
• Pence staff threatened action against reporter over Mayo mask coverage.
• Roads closed into Gallup, NM to mitigate uninhibited spread of coronavirus. 
• Trump claimed to have seen evidence coronavirus came from Wuhan lab. US intelligence determined COVID-19 was “not manmade or genetically modified” though investigation of virus’ origins continues. Administration is considering economic and legal retaliation against China for alleged improper response to coronavirus.
• White House blocked Dr. Fauci from testifying during US House hearing.

Following Kenny Beck’s lead to share a few signs of hope:

• CA company designed suit to protect wearer from germs while attending events.
• Little girl ran 5K to raise money for health care workers.
• Parks & Rec, StateFarm and Subaru help raise $ for Feeding America.

In my personal life…

Being a longtime Michael Jordan fan, I’m jonesing to watch The Last Dance documentary. Greg is disinterested in sports so I’ll likely wait a while, maybe watch it on Netflix with my brother Randy at some point. In as much as Greg does not care for any sport, Randy likes all sports, especially baseball and basketball.

Randy was in a Saturday morning kids bowling league when we lived in Virginia. I remember walking with him to the Ft. Eustis bowling alley to watch him bowl and cheer him on. We watched Earl Anthony bowl on tv, and sometimes we bowled together for extra practice between league games. 

Our neighborhood was designed to have a large common use field in the middle of each block with apartment buildings around the perimeter. There was a playground on one side plus enough open space to carefully play baseball, football and tag with friends. There were also manicured sports fields a little further away for organized teams of soccer and football though we opted for neighborhood pick-up games since they were free and open to all.

When we moved to Alabama, our parents bought their first house and dad installed a basketball goal next to our back yard patio. Randy spent countless hours shooting 3 pointers and sometimes we played H.O.R.S.E. together too. In high school Randy joined a YMCA basketball league which was less daunting than the highly competitive varsity team. I’ve also seen him play baseball, golf, putt putt and tennis; he’s pretty good at everything. Even more impressive is his incredible memory for sports stats and trivia.

I was a bit of a tomboy growing up, had a lot of fun playing sports recreationally but not competitively. As a parent I enjoyed playing with and watching Reid and Austin as they explored various sports and hobbies. Reid dabbled in soccer and karate before realizing his aptitude for and love of music. Austin played baseball before immersing himself in the local skateboard scene. Greg taught the boys archery, duck pin bowling, and remote control car racing. We went as a family to several sporting events: baseball, basketball, and hockey were among our favorites. We played air hockey, billiards pool, laser tag, putt putt, and skee ball. And we drove bumper cars and went roller skating together. As the boys got older they preferred Game Boy and Playstation video games. We also had a Wii system with several traditional and non-traditional sport options including big game hunter and ninja fruit warrior. Greg and I went skiing one winter; one and done. It was fun for me though he worried about getting hurt so we haven’t tried again. I attempted golf lessons one summer but didn’t like it at all. Putt putt yes; golf no.

I think I could enjoy watching just about any sport live. Well, anything except NASCAR; can’t imagine anything more boring than watching cars go around in circles for hundreds of laps. I try not to think about how much fuel has been wasted on that so called sport. Malcolm in the Middle devoted part of an episode to car racing and young Malcolm’s reaction around the 10 minute mark captured my feelings precisely. Demolition derbies, monster truck events and tractor pulls are more fun. 

Having lived in NC intermittently during the 1970’s, of course I have memories of watching live and televised wrestling matches. One time my paternal grandfather, known affectionately by his friends as Coot, hooked up a small trailer to the back of his riding mower so he could take some of the grand kids to a nearby wrastlin’ event featuring Nature Boy Ric Flair, Wahoo McDaniel, Ricky Steamboat, Jay Youngblood, Jimmy Superfly Snooka, and Dusty Rhodes among others. Woo! Kids nowadays will never fully comprehend the pure and simple pleasures of my Carolina childhood. 

Some of Greg’s friends drag race on motorcycles and/or in cars; not the Ru Paul style of drag racing on tv. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Greg and the boys participated in a remote control car club for a while. They built pinewood derby cars too. We’ve watched live horse races and rodeos and toy boat races. We’ve also cheered for friends involved in vintage base ball and roller derby.

Greg played baseball as a child and his sisters played softball. Their dad Melvin coached some of their teams. I’ve been told that Greg was a solid catcher and his sister Leslie was especially talented. I didn’t know them then so I never saw them play. However, they looked adorable wearing their uniforms in photos.  

Even though Greg isn’t much of a sports fan now, we’ve still managed to enjoy quite a few sports together over the years. We occasionally watch sport themed movies and tv shows though we rarely watch actual sporting events on tv. The Battered Bastards of Baseball on Netflix and Brockmire on IFC are among our favorites. Pretty sure I’ll watch The Last Dance eventually. Greg usually goes to sleep before me so maybe I’ll check out an episode one night soon.