NBA might be smarter than me. In fact, I know that’s true. NBA is smarter than me. For the last week or so, I wondered why they were delaying the start of the season. The COVID news was relatively positive and it does seem like sports could have returned in full capacity in mid-June when the Premier League is back for England. NBA set a date of July 31st as the relaunch date from Orlando. And now we know the finishing date of the season if there is a Game 7, October 12th. Part of me is starting to believe that the NBA could bring fans into their stands or at the very least play games in their home arenas.

The country is starting to head out of the phase of small gatherings and quarantines. We are at phase two where things are more open like bars and restaurants plus other business-driving things. For a lot of the places, the last thing to get opened is closed roof large venues like basketball and hockey arenas. The same goes for movie theaters. The virus spreads more in those large, closed spaces. By the time we reach the playoffs, there could be a real opportunity to have fans in some capacity.

What that looks like, I’m unsure. Maybe it is too much of a hassle for the league to come up with a plan, and they will reassess when the season will begin the week of December 21. I fully believe fans will attend at that point. There should be a vaccine out in the marketplace by then if not two. If that’s the case, the responsibility of attending a game is on the person, not the team, as they assume you get the vaccine. That seems heartless, but a vaccine immediately diverts any pressure away from these teams.

It is also worth mentioning that the country has opened up on its own. Due to the tragic death of George Floyd, protesters flooded the streets of every major city in the United States. Most of those cities, Milwaukee included having a strict ‘Stay-at-home’ policy. Despite protestors walking for a noble cause, there is no way a mayor can keep a ‘stay at home’ order in effect. It would look entirely hollow. Things should be opening up for all cities in the coming days.

We’ll see if the NBA is smarter than me or if I figured them out.

Charlie.