On July 15th, I wrote an article detailing the success of the NBA bubble one week into its implementation. Now with the NBA season over and the Los Angeles Lakers crowned the 2019-20 champions, I think I can say, “I told you so,” to everyone who doubted Adam Silver and the bubble.
After three months of the bubble, over 6,500 staff, player families, social justice messages, virtual fans, and whatever else was thrown into this already logistical nightmare, it’s safe to safe that Adam Silver and the NBA did a fantastic job at ensuring player and staff safety—all while allowing millions of fans to watch the amazing game. Of all the people involved, no one tested positive for Covid.
But beyond the amazing success of the NBA season (despite low ratings which was a common trend among all sports), the NBA set an example—an example that the White House and all other organizations followed.
Adam Silver’s decision to promptly shut down the league produced mixed results. The country was still open. I mean, when the commissioner gave the orders, NBA games were about to occur, with fans in attendance!
But it was his foresight that can be attributed to saving thousands of lives. This is because when he was the first one to shut down the league, it caused the rest of the country to pay close attention and follow, essentially causing a domino effect of things shutting down.
At the beginning, it may have been hard to understand how the NBA was going to react to players breaking the rules, as it was bound to happen. No human is perfect. But, the NBA did a fantastic job in showing how serious they were about the bubble, shutting down any funny business real quick.
So overall, massive props to Adam Silver, who may just be the greatest sports commissioner in the world. His decision to take people’s safety seriously at the expense of millions of dollars in revenue goes to show that some people still have humanity left. His navigation through a pandemic and logistical fiasco (which will be studied for years to come) was something only a few people have the capability of successfully doing.
And maybe the biggest thing we can all take away is that humanity trumps all else.
