There's a difference in wanting sports canceled and wanting sports to be played safely
An open letter to those saying media is rooting for no sports this year.
I’ve typed out maybe two or three different newsletters over the last few weeks that I’ve wanted to publish, and will in due time. However, something has been on my mind that I am sort of ready to let out before I move on to everything else. If you’re looking for a fun and uplifting read today, maybe this isn’t it. But thanks for getting as far as you have here already.
To Whom It May Concern,
It’s me, the sportswriter. The one who is concerned about the viability of playing sports during a pandemic when we still do not have the coronavirus under control. The one who is even more concerned with the idea that collegiate athletes could be asked to perform without appropriate safety protocols in place and without compensation.
Over the last number of months, the dudebros in our society — some of who also have a reserved space in the sports media landscape — have accused media of rooting for sports not to take place because of their political alignments juxtaposed with who is currently leading our country. I’m here to tell you that take is disingenuous and quite frankly, insulting.
I try to keep my politics off of social media. I am disheartened by the state of our country and the leadership in place, and that goes far beyond The Oval Office and extends to both sides of the aisle. Playing politics during a pandemic is abhorrent, especially when families are suffering and worrying about how to put food on the table.
And that’s where I take the biggest issue with the idea of people inside of sports media rooting for seasons to not be played. As an employee of Vox Media and SB Nation, I’ve seen what the effects of the pandemic have been on our industry, as cost-cutting measures have gutted entire departments of the company and have thrown several talented people into a state of wondering where their next paycheck is going to come from.
Nothing has ever been guaranteed in this industry. More often than not, you do not get a farewell tour or get to say goodbye on your terms. Job security is already questionable in digital media even without a pandemic. Living in a constant state of anxiety and fear over if you’re going to have a job or not if sports are not played takes a toll. But I know that this is not mutually exclusive to us, as several Americans are currently either out of work or are facing similar fears about their jobs.
I love my job and I love the industry. There has been a ton of blood, sweat, tears, and sacrifice poured into getting into the spot I am today. That’s a pretty typical trajectory for anyone who can break into media. It takes a lot of lowly-paid or unpaid gigs, some very long days and late nights, broken plans with friends, and more. There is a lot of equity put into positioning yourself for an opportunity. We do this with the knowledge that all of it could be gone in an instant and that applies more now than ever.
With all of the above being said, the idea of job security in the form of putting people at risk of getting sick — and potentially dealing with long-term after-effects — is something I’ve struggled to wrap my head around. I’ll cover whatever games are played and will welcome that, both as a distraction from what’s going on in the world and also as a shred of normalcy. But if we cannot guarantee it can be safely done and guidelines can be followed, it will always feel a little bit dirty. Heck, even just *watching* live sports now is done so with an added level of hoping the other shoe doesn’t drop eventually.
All that anyone wants is to be able to carry on safely and that the risk is minimized as much as it can be. Bubbles in sports are working. The NHL, NBA, and WNBA have pulled it off almost flawlessly thus far. MLB has had a tougher time with travel and players being allowed out in public. College sports and the NFL face similar problems with so many variables that could affect testing numbers. There can be as much education and adherence to guidelines as possible, but all it takes is one person to break protocol to put everyone in danger. It’s scary, but those are obstacles that will have to be overcome if they are going to play at all.
Now, do I think there are members of sports media who want people to be as miserable and as depressed about the world as they are? That might be a discussion for another time.
The long and the short of it is this: I love my job and I love sports. I want them to be played and I want to believe that everyone can be kept safe and healthy. I want them to keep going so I can pay my electric bill and mortgage, as well.
The quote that continues to stick with me is from Sean Doolittle of the Washington Nationals, who said that “sports are the reward for a functioning society.” If you remove your head from the sand and take stock of what is going on around us, we are very much not that right now. Healing some of those wounds comes from a respect for others, and it’s pretty clear we just are not there right now and on a lot of fronts, the gap is widening there.
Stay safe. Continue to love and respect each other. Wear a mask.
That’s when people will feel at ease about the return of sports and the other things we missed on for the bulk of the pandemic.
Thanks for reading this week if you did. Now that that’s off my chest, we’ll get back to some more fun stuff in time for next week. Until next time, friends.