COVID-19 and Sports Update: Phases for Reopening the States Will Impact Sports

The first section here is not designed to be overly political, so I would caution you not to read it with that tone. I’m sincerely just trying to suss out the state of things in the COVID-19 recovery so that we can then unpack what it means for sports.

The President this week laid out guidelines for phases in reopening the economy in the states, though in under 24 hours he was endorsing protests against states that were following those very guidelines, so it’s hard to know exactly what the idea is unless you’re cynical. In that case, you would have to presume the intention is not for the federal government to actually help states open up safely, and is instead to pressure states to open, with them absorbing all the blame if things go awry. Even if you are purely thinking about all of this as a sports fan, it very much sucks that the federal government’s interests do not seem to be aligned with those of the states, nor do they seem to actually help effectuate a safe and timely reopening of the kinds of economic activities that would allow some sports leagues to operate in some way.

Anyway, the guidelines – to the extent the federal government ACTUALLY stands by them – basically look like this: a state can’t start the process until that state has seen cases trending down for two weeks, its medical system is in a good place to care for all patients, and a robust testing program is in place for all healthcare workers. From there, the state enters Phase One, and some businesses can open under strict social distancing guidelines (and you could personally be around groups of 10 or fewer). If the state have no rebound in cases, it can proceed to Phase Two, which is when schools can reopen. No rebound after that, it can proceed to Phase Three, which is something closer to “normal,” but at-risk individuals still have separate guidelines, and large venues still have to observe some social distancing mechanisms.

The timelines after a state gets into the phasing process, like much of the rest of the guidelines, are unclear. I presume the state has to be in each phase for a while, though, to determine whether it is having a rebound in cases (hence the need for massively-available testing). All of this is predicated on states actually deciding these phased gates are good enough, mind you, and they may have different thoughts.

With respect to sports, the President seems to want them back ASAP (there’s an election in November, you realize), but again, if the entirety of the burden of testing and tracing is placed on 50 individual governments, it’s hard to argue the federal government is actually helping the return of sports as opposed to just angrily shouting about it. The subject came up as a key part of opening the economy:

Lets assume something like The Arizona Plan would fit into Phase Two, yes, it’s possible you could have fan-free baseball played in Arizona sometime this summer. The state appears to be on the downslope of new cases now, so it’s conceivable that they could enter Phase One at some point in early May (as is the case with many other states – it seems like early May is going to be targeted by many states for the first steps in opening things back up).

Then, if there’s no rebound in new cases, at some point thereafter (a few weeks? a month? beats me), they’d enter Phase Two. It seems like that’s when no-fan baseball could be played (you’re allowed to have groups up to 50 at that point even without social distancing).

Of course, circling back to something that’s been obvious for a month now: you can’t *actually* follow this process without massive, rapid testing. Like, this phasing stuff presumes you have an ability to really effectively, quickly, and accurately test and track people who have been exposed, or may have been exposed, to the virus. That’s what will prevent those rebounds once people start getting back out into the world.

Where are we on testing? Still not enough. As this article lays out, there are still supply availability issues (specifically with some of the underlying chemicals needed for the tests). What’s killing me about that is, even in New York, where the pandemic hit us the worst, they’ve gotten their transmission rate under 1.0 (i.e., on average, one infected person transmits the disease to less than one other person – i.e., the outbreak is theoretically contained). That means *IF THERE WERE* enough testing and tracking capabilities available, New York would be in a position to open more things up right now. Don’t get me wrong, that’s very good news about the spread of the virus, but it’s really discouraging news when you know how beset our country was by testing problems for the first month of the pandemic. That’s why we’re so far behind right now, and why we’re still waiting on testing capabilities to expand, even as the outbreak is on its downslope.

So, in conclusion: testing, testing, testing, still testing, testing testing. That’s the story on sports and COVID-19 for today. More. Testing.

 

written by

Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

more cubs news

Justin Steele Injury Update: New Classification, MRI Tomorrow, IL Stint Coming? Steele and Counsell Speak

A significant update on Justin Steele came from Craig Counsell tonight after the Cubs extra innings loss in Texas. In short: Yes, a stint on the Injured List is likely for Justin Steele. But we still don't know how severe...

Enhanced Box Score: Rangers 4, Cubs 3 – March 28, 2024

It took exactly one day for the Cubs' ace to sustain what may be a significant injury, for their closer to blow a save, for the umpires to significantly impact the outcome of a critical play (this time in the...

OMG: Michael Busch Scored the 9th Inning, GO-AHEAD Run, Because He Just Never Stopped Running

That was absolutely incredible. To all the little kids out there, when your coach tells you to never stop running, this is why. Rookie Cubs 1B Michael Busch (the guy the Cubs got from the Dodgers this offseason to be...

Pre-Gamin’: Cubs at Rangers – Lineups, Pitching Matchup, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

*SHORT COURTS: It's Time To Bring The Home Court, Home! Looking for a unique way to celebrate your athlete or team before you peruse the FIRST CHICAGO CUBS LINEUP of the Year? Don't miss out! For just one more week...

The Cubs Are Among the Most Returning-y Teams

I am still mostly incapacitated at the moment, so apologies for the short shrift on such an otherwise blessed day. In between pokes and prods, I wanted to share a chart I saw that was pretty interesting, even if unsurprising:...

Maybe the Cubs Are the Favorites in the NL Central, After All?

ESPN was the first to throw some love the Cubs way this week, with an overwhelming majority of their writers, analysts, and editors picking the Chicago Cubs to win the NL Central in 2024. But the love doesn't end there....

The Season Begins, Love for Morel, Counsell’s Value, and Other Cubs Bullets

You know where you want to spend your Opening Day morning? The hospital! Suffice to say, this is not how I imagined getting HYPED for the Cubs' opener. I guess I'll just have to think about all the possible lineup...

Cubs vs Rangers: The First Series of the Year!

Cubs vs Rangers — THE REGULAR SEASON IS HERE! Wake up and rejoice. Later tonight, the Cubs will begin their march toward October Baseball against the (reigning World Series champion) Texas Rangers in Arlington. Justin Steele is getting the nod...

The 2024 Chicago Cubs for Dummies

Boom. We made it. The offseason is over, and the Cubs regular season - and those elevated expectations - begins tomorrow. But in case you slept through the winter, I'm here to catch you up on everything you need to...

I’m Expecting More This Year, Cubs — It’s Time to Start Winning

There's no way around it: The Chicago Cubs did *not* have the offseason we hoped they might after making Craig Counsell the highest paid manager in MLB history. Not that they did poorly, mind you. Cody Bellinger, Shota Imanaga, and...

Latest News

Cavaliers vs. 76ers Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Philadelphia 76ers (39-34) are 8-point underdogs against the Cleveland Cavaliers (44-29) at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Friday, March 29, 2024. The game starts at 7:30 PM ET on NBCS. The matchup's point total is set at 212.5.Our computer predictions...

Heat vs. Trail Blazers Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Portland Trail Blazers (19-54) will attempt to end an eight-game losing streak when they visit the Miami Heat (39-33) on Friday, March 29, 2024 at FTX Arena as heavy, 14-point underdogs. The contest airs at 8:00 PM ET on...

Rockets vs. Jazz Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Utah Jazz (29-44) will try to end a seven-game losing streak when they host the Houston Rockets (37-35) on Friday, March 29, 2024 at Vivint Smart Home Arena as 7.5-point underdogs. The contest airs at 9:30 PM ET on...

Bulls vs. Nets Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Chicago Bulls (35-38) hit the court against the Brooklyn Nets (28-45) as 5.5-point favorites on Friday, March 29, 2024 at 7:30 PM ET on NBCS. The matchup has an over/under set at 214.5 points.Before you place an informed wager...

Suns vs. Thunder Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder (50-22) are 2.5-point underdogs against Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns (43-30) Friday, March 29, 2024 at Paycom Center. The matchup begins at 8:00 PM ET on KSBI. The point total is set...

Nuggets vs. Timberwolves Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Minnesota Timberwolves (50-22) are 6.5-point underdogs when they host the Denver Nuggets (51-22) in a battle between the top two teams in the Western at Ball Arena on Friday, March 29, 2024 at 9:00 PM ET on ALT. The...

Knicks vs. Spurs Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The New York Knicks (44-28) will try to continue a three-game win streak when they visit the San Antonio Spurs (17-56) on Friday, March 29, 2024 at AT&T Center as big, 10-point favorites. The game airs at 8:00 PM ET...

Kings vs. Mavericks Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Dallas Mavericks (43-29) will look to Luka Doncic (first in the league scoring 33.9 points per game) when they try to beat De'Aaron Fox (eighth in the NBA with 26.5 PPG) and the Sacramento Kings (42-30) on Friday, March...

How to Watch Diamondbacks vs. Rockies: Live Stream or on TV

On Friday, Corbin Carroll and the Arizona Diamondbacks (1-0) take on Nolan Jones and the Colorado Rockies (0-1), with first pitch scheduled for 9:40 PM ET at Chase Field.If you're trying to watch this game, keep reading for streaming and...

Guardians vs. Athletics: Start Time, Streaming Live, TV Channel, How to Watch

The Cleveland Guardians (1-0), led by Jose Ramirez, visit Brent Rooker and the Oakland Athletics (0-1) on Friday, with first pitch at 9:40 PM ET.Find out how to watch the Cleveland-Oakland matchup below.When is Guardians vs. Athletics and when does...

more cubs news