KEN WILLIS: In the face of worst-case coronavirus scenarios, silver linings pop up
When in search of positives, it helps to give thanks for small pleasures. As the walls continue closing in on the college football season, we’ll take what we can get.
The PGA Championship, for instance. Without throngs of fans lining the fairways and encircling the greens, we get unimpeded views of the purely California scenery — notably the magnificent cypress trees and the backdrop of Lake Merced.
And this, following an accurate Tiger Woods drive.
Justin Thomas: “Good ball.”
Tiger: “Thank you.”
Such an exchange happens millions of times a day on the world’s golf courses, but you never hear it on a professional golf telecast because of the gallery’s various shades of whooping that follows a tee shot. Again, it’s the little things.
But enough with the slivers of good news.
Roger Penske decided against having fans for this month’s rescheduled Indianapolis 500, which fully removes the spectacle from the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. There had been talk of allowing 50% capacity, then 25%, and finally 0%.
Stubborn coronavirus numbers statewide and particularly in host Marion County was obviously the deciding factor. Yet, looking at the numbers, compared to the nation’s current trouble spots, Indiana is practically as clean as Antarctica.
Meanwhile, NASCAR has seen a smattering of fans return in recent weeks to New Hampshire and Texas, and will have some at Daytona for next week’s road-course program and the Aug. 28-29 Xfinity/Cup weekend. Betwixt and between, however, none at Michigan this weekend and none at Dover in two weeks.
With the spacing of available seating, and entrances and exits handled properly — as it all was, for instance, at Daytona’s July 4 sports-car race — allowing 10-20% capacity for an automobile race seems like a reasonable possibility, but I’m no governor.
Same for baseball, though some clever imagination with those cardboard cutouts have brought a bit of joy to the TV proceedings. Just a bit.
“If we can go to Publix, why can’t we go to a ballgame” has become the new “If we can put a man on the moon …”
But I digress. Where were we? Oh, college football, where the 2020 season is slowly bleeding out. The Pioneer League, which includes our Stetson Hatters, pulled the curtains Friday, with some talk of maybe playing football in the spring. If you’ve been to afternoon football games around here in September and most of October, spring football isn’t the worst prospect.
The hardest call will come when the big-league conferences — SEC, Big Ten, etc. — face the once unthinkable, which is now looking too much like the inevitable. More and more players are already making that call, as the “opt out” has replaced the transfer portal as the prime buzz phrase for college football.
If you’re a Trevor Lawrence or Micah Parsons, among those slated to join the Young Millionaires Club after next spring’s NFL Draft, the 2020 season was already going to be a potential health crisis — ask Tua Tagovailoa about that. Potentially pushing things to next spring is nothing that should interest those poised to be drafted next year.
For some, choices will be easy. For the big-time conference commissioners, the university presidents and athletic directors, it must be agonizing. Billions of TV dollars are at risk, but so is the potential for worsening a health crisis.
“They’re only worried about the money,” you might say.
Well, yeah, when you’re talking three commas and nine zeros on those contracts, you worry about the money. In the end, you hopefully make the right call, but you’re damn right those contracts are hovering over them.
No need acting like you’re above such a thing.
Reach Ken Willis at ken.willis@news-jrnl.com