Dr. Anthony Fauci has a difficult job. He’s in charge of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and is also spearheading efforts by the US government to thwart COVID-19’s attempts at dismantling the country. His suggestions on combatting the virus haven’t always been received well and has reportedly received death threats over his policies, but this hasn’t been enough to stop People magazine from including him in the list of candidates for its “Sexiest Man Alive” award. Now, Fauci has issued a new statement on what he perceives as the best way for the sports world to get back on its feet, and, as usual, his comments are likely to find mixed reactions.
Fauci doesn’t see a problem with sports leagues starting to get back into action, but he would prefer that all events take place in front of empty stadiums, fields and arenas. He would expect games to be held without fan attendance, like what is already being seen with Germany’s Bundesliga, and adds that players will need to be regularly tested to find out if they have been infected with the coronavirus. Anyone who turns up positive will need to be quarantined.
The disease specialist participated in an interview with Peter Hamby from Snapchat as part of his Good Luck America series and asserted, “Nobody comes to the stadium. Put [players] in big hotels, wherever you want to play, keep them very well surveilled. Have them tested every single week and make sure they don’t wind up infecting each other or their family, and just let them play the season out.”
Fauci isn’t ready to say when he thinks major leagues could start getting back into gear. He has indicated that he believes the number of coronavirus cases is stabilizing, which is a good sign, but won’t offer an opinion of when the NBA, NHL and others might be able to crank up operations. Currently, there is talk of some possible sports activity next month, but nothing concrete is in place – most predictions are that fans might find some relief in June. For football fans, the NFL Draft is coming next week, and the league is still adamant that its players will be on the field come September.
President Trump has relied heavily on Fauci’s input to make his decisions, but he is also turning to the sports world for some help. He has been in contact with the commissioners of all the major sports leagues this week to consider appropriate courses of action, with the hopes that games won’t be delayed anymore than absolutely necessary. He states, “We want to get our sports back, so important. I’m tired of watching baseball games that are 14 years old. But I haven’t actually had too much time to watch. I would say maybe I watch one batter and then I get back to work.”
