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The Press Box For May 6

By Staff | May 6, 2020

President Trump said, “We have to get our sports back. I’m tired of watching baseball games that are 14 years old.”

Trump said he was assembling a panel of experts, including the commissioners of every major league in the country, to figure out a way for games to return to stadiums around the country.

Based on the Presidents’ and the Governors’ projections, it looks very dim for the chances of any sporting events starting up in the near future. At least as we have been accustomed to.

The little league parades, with tag day, kids on the T-Ball field, youth out on the playground equipment, all that is gone for this year. The remainder of high school basketball for 2019-20 is wiped out, and spring sports will not happen.

So how realistic is it that we will see sports again this year? There is a hint from experts that there are some options, but there isn’t any simple solution. I am still worried about what could be when fall arives. Will there be football on any level?

With the country geting back to somewhat normal, we just might luck out and have some things to cheer about. However, when I think about mass gatherings I get a little nervous. With fans packed together in the stands, standing along the sidelines or just waiting at the concession area it fits the exact definition of what we should avoid.

And it’s not just the games themselves: Think about fans traveling to and from stadiums, tailgating in the parking lots, congregating at bars before and after the events. You’re bringing together a bunch of people who don’t usually mix and packing them really close together for an extended period of time.

Some places are moving quickly to restart business, with restaurants, malls, gyms, and movie treaters all opening. I guess it will soon tell the story of what’s to come later this year. We’ll either be back at it or back at home.

I believe we will have some form od sports before long even if it’s games played without fans. It’s an option, but is it a good one? Should we feel OK about asking hundreds of athletes around the country to ignore the health guidelines to play sports for our entertainment? The athletes wouldn’t just be meeting a few times a week for games. Even if they wanted to play in empty stadiums, it’s putting the players at risk.

Various sports organizations have discussed plans like this. Major League Baseball, for instance, internally pondered bringing all of its teams to Arizona where there are 10 ballparks used for spring training to play a season in a single, tightly controlled area.

Sounds good, but it might be a little far-fetched. Think about what all could go wrong, the whole scenario would never work out. I believe the right thing to do for now is let everything playout and write it all off as a once in a lifetime experience for future generations to ponder.

The one big thing to think about, of course is money. Billions of dollars will no doubt be lost and money is a decisive factor which can make people do a lot of things. So we never know.

My wish and prayer is for the virus to go away, or a proven vaccine for all to take to hit the market. Then we will be able to once again enjoy life as before. The local schools will be back on track, the Mountaineers will hit the field and fill the stadium and life will once again be perfect.

In the meantime follow the guidelines, wear your mask, hit the golf balls, keep the fishing poles handy and take those nice Sunday drives. Spend as much time with family as possible. Take in a church service if you get the chance, the good Lord is still watching over us. eparsons@tylerstarnews.com