Sports fans have seen "clear leaders emerge in some areas with just as obvious voids left in others" amid the coronavirus outbreak, according to Tara Sullivan of the BOSTON GLOBE. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver "made the first bold [step] by suspending the NBA season," with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman "quickly falling in line." NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has "unsurprisingly remained publicly silent," and top college execs "stumbled through their conference tournaments." Silver's move marked the "indisputable tipping point in the sports world's willingness to make drastic changes toward flattening the curve of viral transmission." Sullivan: "History should look at sports kindly, not only for acknowledging that reality so readily, but for pushing other sectors of society toward understanding it as well" (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/14). YAHOO SPORTS' Dan Wetzel wrote Silver represented a "smart, sensible, serious person making a very big decision that would cost his business incredible amounts of money, and then laying out in clear and concise ways why it had to be done." While the NBA overall could have been more proactive, it was "more proactive in relation to many others" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 3/14). In Boston, Steve Bulpett wrote under the header, "NBA's Move Leads To Greater Understanding And Concern For COVID-19 Crisis" (BOSTON HERALD, 3/14). Also in Boston, Mark Murphy wrote under the header, "NBA Leads The Way In Response To Coronavirus" (BOSTON HERALD, 3/14).
VOICE OF REASON: In Dallas, Kevin Sherrington wrote people look for leadership and a "voice of reason amid the chaos" in times of trouble, and "that voice this week ... was Mark Cuban's." The NBA "took the lead in deciding the appropriate course of action, and Cuban became the face of that decision." Sherrington: "The owner famous for setting the league on fire sold Adam Silver's actions with his reasoned response. Probably not a coincidence that other pro leagues shortly followed suit" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 3/14).
