Today, Thursday 7月 23, Major League 棒球 (大联盟) will make its return. NIH自己的博士. Anthony Fauci will toss out the first pitch in Washington DC. Will he be wearing his now famous Washington Nationals face mask?
大联盟在COVID赛季期间返回DMV
Is this a return to the arena sports experience? Of course not in this year of the coronavirus pandemic. 那我们的餐馆和酒吧怎么办? Well, stay tuned to the end of this blog for that perspective.
March 13 was the day when the NBS suspended its season — since then sports fans have been waiting for a return of live sporting action.
是的, 纳斯卡, WWE的, PBA, 美国职业高尔夫协会, professional volleyball and soccer leagues both 在这里 and across the “pond” are now finding some wiggle room to perform live. 所有的尝试都是如此, 试图重现曾经的样子, so that now at least those sporting venues can be used surrounded by a visible void of fans.
This just reminds us of what it could be like with us t在这里 watching the action.
Now, with the potential return to major sports action, I sold the farm and bought a smart 32” TV.
The unit is light enough to carry indoors from its semi-permanent outdoor deck perch. I bought it so I could view games and imagine I was in the arena. A beer by my side and a pot of chili with hotdogs or wings on the grill close by while sitting in an easy chair.
萤火虫会在晚上照亮后院. Pumped in music and crowd noise will echo over the tiniest of speakers enclosed in that “smart” tv. Perhaps a bud or two will be invited by to socially distance themselves between the beer bucket and grill as they watch with me “a game” in this temporary arena.
The NBA has its Magic Kingdom arena bubble in Orlando. 他们 will join the fray within the next two weeks without fans.
The NFL has canceled the shortened preseason scheduled for August as the full season is now in jeopardy. 他们, 业主, 球员和球迷, all await the pandemic performance scores from the 大联盟 60 game season.
有没有加拿大，美国职业棒球大联盟能成功吗? Can the NFL safely put on the field 32 competitive teams along with a newly minted mascot in DC? All very good questions, with no definitive answers at this time.
Meanwhile, the NCAA is next up to bat to make a decision on going forward (with arena sports).
罗格斯大学, 大学足球的发源地, 星期一宣布的, 7月20日, that they along with their NJ NFL football cousins, 纽约巨人队和喷气机队, 没有粉丝会继续前进吗. Rutgers will limit attendance to 500 spectators, strictly family and coaching members. 新泽西州长发表了讲话.
Back in the DMV, statewide school systems in Virginia and Maryland will follow state reopening plans. Virginia has canceled all fall high schools’ sports, they did so in mid-7月. Maryland is working through the process using a Roadmap for Return of Interscholastic Athletics published on 7月 7. 又出现了"回归"这个词.
周二, 7月21日, 蒙哥马利县公立学校(MCPS), 在回归路线图上捅了个大洞, by canceling all Fall and Winter scholastic sports. Of course, with any decision like that, both parents and student-athletes are sadly impacted.
餐厅, 酒吧, 竞技场和大流行, it all goes back to that sole sport intersection connection. 他们, the frontline support staff and players are all interconnected.
想想看.
运动场就是为这种体验而建的. That includes not only the game on the field but the inside service, consumption and tactile experience that accompanies the venue. Let’s not forget the community facelift that transformed nearby arena surrounding areas. All those downtown 酒吧 and restaurants for pre and postgame revelry. 想想所有被雇佣的服务人员.
在不久以前, PGA golf courses had its galleries with food and drink services located out of TV camera views. 棒球, 足球, Soccer stadiums had been built with luxury boxes and mezzanines filled with service personnel and food vendors, 即使是餐馆. High school booster clubs constructed tents for preparation and consumption of brats and Pepsi’s all dependent on donations from local businesses and pizza parlors. 这很正常.
是的，我们都渴望回归.
Perhaps in some small way, we can help keep that venue experience alive while we await better days. 考虑点外卖, or maybe delivery as we sit in our enclosed arena’s watching the return of live-action sports.
We might feel thankful as would a frontline worker. A person wearing a Pepsi logo kamikaze head bandana and fluorescent orange vendor vest pushes the front doorbell “Ring” and yells “冰百事可乐4美元。” into the neighborhood while working to deliver his cold drinks and pizza to the summer backyard perch in my sports arena.
干杯
菲尔法
Phil has been on a sabbatical from sports since the pandemic shut down all sideline activities. Never fear he still is taking photos – check out his latest creation called the MatchLIDProject™. 点击 在这里读一下
