The NBA is keeping a season cancellation on the table

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The NBA is ready to finish out the season, operating inside a “bubble” at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The professional basketball league figured out, at the beginning of last month, what was needed to ensure a safe and secure environment for players and staff, and started working on a plan that would see the NBA Finals get going at the end of this month. However, with different areas across the US, and even the league, now witnessing a resurgence in the coronavirus, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is keeping his thumb on the big red button that would bring everything to a grinding halt once again. 

Silver and the rest of the NBA are still optimistic that everything will be able to move forward as projected. However, he told TIME 100 Talks yesterday that the season could be canceled if necessary. He explained, “If cases are isolated, that’s one thing. But if we had a lot of cases, we’re going to stop.” The commissioner’s comments echoed similar remarks he made last week when he asserted, “The level of concern has increased, not just because of the increased levels in Florida, but throughout the country.”

In addition to new waves of COVID-19 seen in Florida, Nevada, California and elsewhere, a number of NBA players have tested positive for the virus. So far, at least 13 players have decided that they don’t want to make the trip to Orlando, although not all of them are backing out due to the coronavirus. Some are dealing with previous injuries or personal preferences, such as wanting to spend time with family. 

Silver adds, “Never full steam ahead no matter what. One thing we are learning about this virus is much [is] unpredictable, and we and our players, together with their union, look at the data on a daily basis. If there were something to change that was outside of the scope of what we are playing for, certainly we would revisit our plans. We are testing daily. We haven’t put a precise number on it, but, if we were to see a large number of cases and see spread in our community, that would, of course, be a cause to stop, as well.”

There’s no doubt that canceling the season would have a huge financial impact on teams and the NBA. However, money is not behind the motive to finish out the basketball action. As others have stated, the return of major sports will give sports fans, and the general public, a level of confidence that things are returning to normal. This helps improve the public state of mind, but also helps improve the economy. If consumers are less apprehensive about the health situation, they’re more likely to spend, and this will help the entire country start to recover. This has been confirmed by a number of health officials but, just as important, people want their sports.

While Silver is dividing his time between team schedules, health policies and NBA Finals action plans, he now has to contend with another headache. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are calling him out for the league’s interest in maintaining a relationship with China while that country continues to abuse human rights and thwart democratic efforts. Silver has until July 21 – just days ahead of the expected season relaunch – to answer a series of questions about the league’s involvement with the country.