You’re at your house, maybe working from home or closing out the academic year over Zoom. Tuning into the news channels or opening social media only reveals the social injustice that our country is undergoing, never mind the pandemic that has been ravaging through our jobs, industries, and livelihoods. But that’s just Summer 2020. Numerous businesses: shuttered, or transitioning to delivery-only. Televised sports: nowhere to be found. Cinemas, theme parks, and other public areas: empty. People: suffering, namely oppressed minorities. Some at the hands of the coronavirus, others at the hands of institutionalized racism in the US. One organization is making the headlines: the National Basketball Association.
After lockdowns began in March and the major sports went on hiatus, it seemed as if the basketball season was done for good, let alone the other professional sports’ seasons. Projections of a season restart seemed low with every passing month until June 4, when the NBA’s Board of Governors reached a nearly unanimous decision to continue the season, 29 out of 30 votes in favor of the restart. Simultaneously, the players did not reach such a consensus. Off of nationwide protests and riots over the killings Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and numerous other POC, Kyrie Irving– newly elected VP of the National Basketball Players’ Association –proclaimed that players should forego the restart in favor of supporting social justice movements. Other players believed that doing so would have the opposite effect. Austin Rivers pointed out how players would be able to support BLM and other organizations with the salary and media attention they would receive from participating in the restart.
Amidst discourse and speculation within the fanbase, the NBA released their plans over the weeks leading up to July 31st, including six phases of varying degrees of restrictions. During the first two phases, players were to return home and get tested for COVID, while the final four phases involved conducting team workouts, traveling to the “Bubble” in Disney World, scrimmaging and finally playing games on live television, no fans in attendance. The changes that garnered the most attention were how players unable to play due to being injured or labeled “high risk” would still collect salary during the Bubble season, and how last names on player jerseys would be replaced with a social justice message of each players choice, ranging from “education reform,” to “black lives matter.” As a result of these measures, national headlines regarding the NBA were radically different from seasons prior. They focused not on awards, player statistics, or playoff predictions, but instead on instances such as teams sitting out playoff games in August over the Jacob Blake shootings, certain players choosing not to put a message in the back of their jerseys, and the effectiveness of Bubble, which yielded no positive cases.
While the the experiment wasn’t entirely smooth sailing (see: The Houston Rockets’ Danuel House breaking COVID guidelines by inviting a female guest into his room and several players questioning team owners’ dedication to social justice and equality), the 2020 NBA Bubble was still a runaway success; a high-profile paradigm of collective effort, which is exactly what our country has needed recently. NBA commissioner Adam Silver laid out detailed guidelines for players to follow diligently. Not only did they come together to follow these rules, but also made their voices heard regarding our social climate. A near-perfect example of leadership and cooperation, the NBA created a blueprint that both fellow sports leagues and the United States can learn from moving forward, even if doing so may be difficult. Acting as a microcosm of an ideal society, the Bubble’s efficacy and widespread acclaim is a testament to the increasing role in larger society and influence of athletes today.