Goodell Has Got To Be Sweating Bullets Right Now
Well, here we are. As we tried to re-open sports amid a pandemic, the Marlins entire team tested positive, and things are not looking great right now for MLB, who opted to not play in a bubble. When they chose not to play in a bubble, they decided to trust one another to follow protocol and safety regulations, and obviously that did not work. The NBA is doing great in their bubble thus far, and MLB is falling apart at the seams. They knowingly allowed the Marlins to play while infected...not good!
So now all our heads turn to the NFL. In theory, all they have to do is the complete opposite of what MLB has done and they should be good. Testing, bubble, penalties for breaking protocol, etc. If they want to play safely, they need to follow the NBA and NHL's lead. Butttttt that doesn't seem like it's on the table. As far as I know, there are no plans to play in a bubble. Goodell wants to start on time and even have fans in the stadiums. Which obviously we all want. That would be awesome. But my GOD Goodell cannot screw this up like Manfred. He should use this as an example of what not to do.
I have no clue how the NFL will keep their players and their families safe. These are huge rosters composed of a ton of selfish players *cough, Dallas Cowboys having parties all offseason, cough* whose jobs 100% require intense physical contact with one another. It's playing with fire.
The only solution I have right now is they build a bubble the size of the Truman Show. Put 8 stadiums in it. Stagger the days of the week the teams play. Ed Harris lives in the moon. The only way out is on a sail boat.
It'll be interesting to watch in real time. I fucking PRAY to gosh they figure out how to do this safely. I have not a clue how they can make these players follow protocol, I mean Lou Williams couldn't even stay in the NBA bubble, he just needed to go to a strip club for chicken wings, how in the world will the NFL do it without a bubble and with rosters 6x the size of NBA's? No pressure Goodell but all the pressure in the world. Nobody said playing sports mid-pandemic would be easy, and now it's his responsibility to figure out how to make it happen. I don't want to be pessimistic but given Roger's track record...he might want to find someone who can figure this one out for him.