N.Y. POST
It is "time to applaud" the leaders of North American sports leagues for canceling virtually all competitions for the foreseeable future due to the coronavirus pandemic, as it is the "appropriate response, even if some games and championships are forever lost," according to John Romano of the TAMPA BAY TIMES. Extraordinary measures are "being taken by sports officials, but this is an extraordinarily dangerous virus" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 3/13). In Chicago, Paul Sullivan writes: "No one can fault the leagues for making the decision. Preventing a potential catastrophe obviously should be their only concern" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 3/13). A BOSTON HERALD editorial: "Calling off the games is the right thing to do. The seasons can resume once this viral cloud cloaking the entire world lifts" (BOSTON HERALD, 3/13). In N.Y., Mike Vaccaro: "Thursday -- March 12, 2020 -- was the day sports died, or at least the day they went into temporary hibernation. ... Thursday was when the lights went off for good, when the men and women who control sports in the United States finally understood it was time to reach for the red phone, the nuclear option" (N.Y. POST, 3/13). In Minneapolis, Jim Souhan: "We are a nation without games, and that's how it should be, for now. If you are complaining about the postponements and cancellations, please stop. ... Sports will always matter, but the games don't matter enough to put Americans at risk" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 3/13). Also in Minneapolis, Sid Hartman: "It's hard to believe the way the sporting world has been impacted this week" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 3/13).
DEALING WITH NATIONAL EMERGENCIES: In N.Y., Andrew Keh notes it was "almost unreal to see the sports leagues buckle under the pressure of an unseen, outside force." The idea that sports "should take a back seat to greater concerns" at a time like this was "commonly espoused on Thursday." Keh: "It remained to be seen what effect the disappearance of sports from American stadiums and television sets would have on a nation" (N.Y. TIMES, 3/13). In Buffalo, Mike Harrington refers to the 9/11 tragedy and writes, "You knew the games were coming back and we could rally around them. And that's what makes one stunning week in March of 2020 unlike anything we've ever seen. We have no idea what's happening, no idea when the teams are returning" (BUFFALO NEWS, 3/13). In Seattle, Larry Stone notes he has been through some "hugely disorienting days as it pertains to sports," including 9/11, the '89 Bay Area earthquake and the '80 eruption of Mount St. Helens. Stone: "These past two days have been unsettling in previously unimagined ways. Now we are facing a national crisis in which sports, by their very nature, are unable to be a balm on our frayed nerves" (SEATTLE TIMES, 3/13).
OUR SECURITY BLANKET IS GONE: In L.A., Bill Plaschke writes Thursday will be "forever remembered as the day sports went dark, turning off its lights." Plaschke: "The one thing that has long helped America endure a national crisis was its games and, now, suddenly, just as this health crisis is peaking, the games have disappeared" (L.A. TIMES, 3/13). In Detroit, Bob Wojnowski writes under the header, "Sadly, The Games Had To Stop Before The Healing Could Begin" (DETROIT NEWS, 3/13). In Boston, Tom Keegan: "Sports again will play an important part when they resume. For now, the role they play is an unfamiliar passive one" (BOSTON HERALD, 3/13). In L.A., Mark Whicker: "Normally you'd want the games to continue, not just because of some vague inspiration but because they connote business being conducted as usual. That pretense is long gone" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 3/13). In K.C., Vahe Gregorian: "In times of turmoil, like, say, pandemics, we tend to turn to sports, This time around, alas, the so-called mirror of society is a disconcerting, mournful look" (K.C. STAR, 3/13). In Las Vegas, Ed Graney: "We have temporarily been deprived on one of the things that brings people together. We are together now, as well. We'd just prefer the gap not be bridged this particular way" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 3/13). In Philadelphia, Bob Brookover: "The elixir provided by the games we love isn't going to be available for a while. ... and the people who play them are going to be deprived of reaching their goals through no fault of their own. This hurts -- a lot" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 3/13). The GLOBE & MAIL's Cathal Kelly: "What sports have become now is the light at the end of the tunnel. We'll know we've got to the other side when sports are ramping back up" (GLOBE & MAIL, 3/13).
SPORTS AS A LEADER: USA TODAY's Christine Brennan writes sports is "telling us that something is very wrong and it's time to take it seriously." Brennan: "Hopefully, as sports goes, so goes the nation. ... It might have taken too long in some cases, and the path to get there surely was confusing and convoluted at times, but the sports world is now in the right place" (USA TODAY, 3/13). In West Palm Beach, Hal Habib writes under the header, "Sports Commissioners' Swift Response To Crisis Should Be Example For All Our Leaders." Habib: "Right now, sports is leading" (PALM BEACH POST, 3/13). In St. Paul, John Shipley: "A lot of people ridicule sports and the people who care about them, but sports took the lead this week. While some were insisting Americans can still go to work, sports leagues told them to stay home. While the job creators panicked on Wall Street, pro sports teams took steps to protect their employees" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 3/13). However, in Orlando, Mike Bianchi writes, "Sports leagues, even though they are run by very intelligent people ... are as worried, baffled and confused as the rest of us about what to do during a global pandemic. ... The disorganization and disarray I'm seeing among sports executives right now is concerning because it shows how ill-prepared we all are to handle a situation of this magnitude" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 3/13). In Pittsburgh, Kevin Gorman wrote under the header, "Shutdown Of The Sports World Showed Us That Leaders Are Not To Be Trusted" (TRIBLIVE.com, 3/12).
