RebKell's Junkie Boards

[Randy]

I think the worst case scenario is if they start to play and players/coaches get sick and they end up with a mess on their hands followed by cancellation. It seems though that if MLB type plan is the template it provides too little player protection from what I can see. It may be possible for teams that fly charter to reduce infection risk, but that's not true if the WNBA flies commercial. Playing in single location makes more sense, but as noted already is also problematical for a variety of reasons.

[ClayK]

Gavin Newsom made it pretty clear that there will be no games of any kind in California for "months," plural. And the governors of Nevada, Oregon, Washington and some other states have said they will act as a group.

If so, then the likelihood of something happening in Las Vegas seems low, though there might be a push to try and save the Las Vegas economy by having something going on there that isn't allowed anywhere else. But then again, having no fans isn't really going to do much to generate revenue -- putting 300 WNBA employees (players, coaches, etc.) in a hotel isn't going to move the needle.

The more likely location is a red state, where the push to open things will presumably be stronger, unless of course Georgia and Oklahoma are overwhelmed with cases in the next six weeks.

Bill Gates said on CNN that he thinks it's crucial that schools open in August, but that the information that will determine how that can happen really won't be available until late July. Assuming Gates knows what he's talking about -- which seems safe to me, as his total focus for the last few years has been diseases and how they spread -- we just need more information.

So barring some key revelations, it just seems that a WNBA season of any length is going to be very problematic to pull off because of the timeline. If you want a league to start in August but you don't know if it can until July, that's a difficult problem to solve.

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Oṃ Tāre Tuttāre Ture Svāhā

[miller40]

[Randy]

So just my usual speculation but ClayK your red state comment started my wheels turning.

Senator Kelly stuck her neck out and supported GA Gov. Kemp on his recent re-opening moves only to later have the Wrath of Don fall upon them. Kemp has pretty much doubled down on his decision and I could see Kelly and the starving College Park arena folks make a big play for hosting the WNBA season. The new arena is a part of large hotel/convention complex which must be suffering tremendously due to lack of business (not to mention all the rental car taxes which were supposed to pay for the arena)they are not collecting now. BTW - I'm not endorsing this idea in the least, but this is Georgia where jobs are essential and people are replaceable.

[Richyyy]

I wonder if they actually need to finish by October. I know that's what the CBA says, but we currently have no idea what 2020-21 overseas seasons are going to look like, either (if they exist at all). It might be an opportunity for the WNBA to see what a much later season looks like and how the coverage works out. But it will take a lot of cooperation and coordination with the WNBPA and the players.

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Independent WNBA coverage: http://www.wnbalien.com/

[Shades]

Here’s my post from Area 51:

Here’s a non-toxic sanitation device that uses ionized saline solution. It’s from an article back before the coronavirus became prominent. How come Trump can’t stumble onto less dangerous ideas like this?
https://newatlas.com/around-the-home/egret-electrolyzed-water-disinfect/

They seem to be coming out with walkthrough booth versions of this.
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kKt1i14ipZM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KcHSh6P4LJU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I could see large gathering events using booths like these to combat surface virus. Combine that with required wearing of cloth masks, electronic hand sanitizer dispensing stations, and something like UV lighting installed in HVAC, maybe then there will be less need for social distancing even before a vaccine is developed.

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Nnekalonians 1:14 - Thou shalt not accept that which is not earned

[Randy]

Far UV light (UV-c different frequency from a and b, can't make it through the ozone layer) is very effective against virus of all kinds and a very little skin damage. Could be set up in lighting in buildings.


https://www.wftv.com/news/local/brevard-county/uv-light-disinfection-technology-could-be-game-changer-covid-19-fight/Q43GQGMDCBABZMCYTTFNXCTVCI/

[toad455]

[Stormeo]

Despite uncertain league start, WNBA rookies to begin receiving health benefits this week

[Shades]

Might explain why players are getting cut. Those health benefits per player might be pricey, and how of much of the premiums are footed by the teams?

Or is there one umbrella policy for the league that costs the same no matter how many players are in the pool? 🤔

_________________
Nnekalonians 1:14 - Thou shalt not accept that which is not earned

[Randy]

France cancelled its' soccer season today. German teams are now practicing.

[elsie]

I wouldn't trust Bill Gates to give me directions to the supermarket.....

lets see, you tube and facebook block actual drs from speaking their minds about the ridiculousness of the lockdown but Bill Gates gets airtime galore...Gates who to my knowledge has no medical degree let alone a college degree...

[Randy]

Not a good time to fly commerical for WNBA players or anyone else. 500 TSA employees test positive. How many people waiting in the TSA line are infected?


https://www.aol.com/article/news/2020/04/30/tsa-says-500-of-its-employees-have-tested-positive-for-covid-19/24152572/

[tfan]

How about the flight attendants. How are any of them not infected? We never wanted to shut down internal/interstate non-essential travel, I guess under the rationale of “not wanting to hurt the economy”. As they say: “How’d that work out?”

[Bob Lamm]

[Richyyy]

Wild Ideas to Bring Back Sports Might Say More About Cities Than Leagues
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/01/sports/when-sports-come-back-nba-nfl.html

[NYL_WNBA_FAN]

Hopefully by July this is contained and we can have the WNBA in one location with safety precautions. Based on the availability of 5 courts, you could easily have WNBA and NBA in the same location in terms of the games themselves. However, opening up hotels, restaurants and entertainment for a few thousand people certainly would seem less than desirable. Particularly entertainment.

The only way we will see WNBA in 2020 is at either one location or two locations without fans, I think that part goes without saying. I'm not optimistic about it but let's see what June and July bring. NY is starting to get better and hopefully will continue to as long as we remain vigilant. My fear is in locations that aren't vigilant. People in certain locations legitimately have no clue what this is really like. Anyone who doesn't practice precautions will be vulnerable.

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The poster formerly known as LibWNBAFan.

[toad455]

They could split the league up by conferences and have the 6 East teams at Mohegan Sun and the six West teams in Vegas. The NBA is considering a split up between conferences with the West teams in Vegas and the East teams in Orlando.

_________________
LET'S GO LIBERTY!!!!!!

Twitter: @TBRBWAY

[Randy]

The NBA announced it is postponing the Draft Lottery and the Combine. Maybe they don't want to do the lottery on the current standings because they still have hope of finishing their season.

[FrozenLVFan]

[Randy]

Kind of a minor point, but interesting and it has applications to sports teams. One test (run through the PCR machine) can be used for multiple people. Nebraska is doing 5 at time. No - they don't use one swab five times, but they run the combined samples together somehow. The idea is that likely all 5 tests will come up negative (which is a very reasonable assumption.) If so, the combined test clears all 5 people. If not, all 5 retest. Seems a very good option for people who have no symptoms and are unlikely to be infected. Might save sports teams time and testing supplies (and more importantly, it could greatly multiply the number of tests available in society as a whole.


https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/07/opinion/coronavirus-group-testing.html?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20200508&instance_id=18314&nl=the-morning&regi_id=118548504&segment_id=26915&te=1&user_id=2f9430c967979dc2ed857c41a2c6a467

[FrozenLVFan]

[ClayK]

Or the fact that there's no consensus on how accurate any of the tests are.

Or the fact that there's no data on whether immunity is created by having it, or low long that immunity might be if there is some. (My guess is, based on nothing, that there is immunity, for at least a year, but since no one knows, it's pretty hard to give once-infected people a free pass back into the wider world.)

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Oṃ Tāre Tuttāre Ture Svāhā

[toad455]

As the MLB looks to startup and the NBA looking to resume, several players have come forward saying they'd prefer to sit out the season if it's a option. Though these players make much more than any WNBA player, I do wonder if any WNBA players would sit out as well?

_________________
LET'S GO LIBERTY!!!!!!

Twitter: @TBRBWAY

[Randy]

That's a little surprising, though NBA players make so much money that they shouldn't be in dire need of paychecks for the rest of the season. Unless their teams are really contenders may not have much to play for.