The NBA, NHL and MLB almost certainly "won’t be in bubbles" when their seasons start back up, but many of the lessons learned from being in some form of a bubble environment "could apply to whatever the new definition of normal is for those and other sports," according to Reynolds & Whyno of the AP. There was "no magic bullet in the NBA or NHL bubbles: Masks were worn, hand sanitizing was stressed constantly and social distancing was required at all times." The NHL learned it "doesn’t necessarily need to physically fence in players and staff for any quarantine situations next season." And while the NBA "doesn’t want another bubble experience," that "doesn’t mean many of the bubble protocols and principles will be forgotten." NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said it is about "minimizing risk, and so there are a lot of elements of the bubble that will translate to what’s next.” Reynolds & Whyno noted a "new set of rules are coming in just about every sport, almost all with enhanced health and safety in mind," and if they work, games "could return to arenas and stadiums with some fans in attendance sometime soon." Even as coronavirus numbers are "spiking again across much of the U.S.," experts "don’t think it’s a pipe dream to have fans, even indoors, with a combination of some screening, masks, distancing and planning how they enter and exit" (AP, 11/5).
