COVID put a lid on the rim

It’s springtime, and sports are at its peak. The NBA is going into its final stretch of the regular season. College football and the NFL season had just come to an end a few weeks back. One of the greatest things to ever grace the sports world was upon us: March Madness. Anyone who had their head in a phone had heard of this “thing” before, but probably disregarded it (as some are still doing to this day). Then all of a sudden, the world stopped, for the second time this year might I add. I can only imagine what those who were mid-game thought when officials came out onto the fields of play and told them the game was being cut short. The common name was being thrown around jokingly, but then officials began addressing it more professionally by its scientific name, COVID-19.

From January to the present-day, we have witnessed the unimaginable. The Black Mamba has become a memory, March was definitely Madness but not the kind we wanted. People living in a “Bubble” became a real thing as if the movie wasn’t bad enough. However, more importantly to me, COVID-19 stopped basketball.

Thanks to the powers that be in the NBA offices and the NBPA, the game has made its return but with a twist. The NBA Bubble has changed the way we experience sports. Fans are virtually present, and the league has created a lifestyle that we had only seen in video games and science fiction television and film. The plus side of this experience has been the increased level of competition, but the officiating hasn’t been up to par. Nevertheless, they are giving us hope in discouraging times in our society. COVID-19 May have gotten to the rim, but everyone knows defense wins championships.