Athletes from every major international sport will discuss the toll that the Coronavirus has taken on the sports world in the upcoming documentary titled The Day That Sports Stood Still. Antoine Fuqua is set to direct, with Imagine Documentaries producing the feature. Filming is said to already be underway. The idea for the documentary was […]
Chris Paul & Antoine Fuqua Working On New Doc About COVID-19’s Impact On Sports — Baller Alert
LeBron James is believed to be conducting private workouts with his Los Angeles Lakers teammates during the NBA’s shutdown, but safety protocols reportedly were followed in accordance with league-mandated social-distancing guidelines.
LeBron James has reportedly held ‘safe’ practices with Lakers teammates — Sportress of Blogitude
Los Angeles Lakers forward Jared Dudley is often a forgotten man on the team’s deep roster of talent. The 14-year NBA veteran is averaging just 1.5 points, in just under eight minutes a game this season, both lows for his career. However, Dudley is a vocal leader in the locker room, and considered part of […]
Lakers’ Jared Dudley Shares Details on NBA Return Amidst Coronavirus Pandemic — NBC Los Angeles
The 14-year NBA veteran is averaging just 1.5 points, in just under eight minutes a game this season, both lows for his career. However, Dudley is a vocal leader in the locker room, and considered part of the glue that holds the team together.
On Wednesday, during a video conference call with reporters, Dudley provided detailed insight on the NBA’s plan to resume the season, as well as an insider’s perspective on how players are practicing now that the training facilities have reopened.
Dudley was a teammate of National Basketball Player’s Association President Chris Paul on the Clippers during the 2013-14 season, and said he’s spoken frequently to his former teammate during the current suspension of the NBA season.
Dudley added that he’s spoken to many players and executives during the stay-at-home orders in order to gain knowledge and perspective on the NBA’s plan to resume the season. It is with that knowledge that Dudley was able to share detailed information with reporters on Wednesday.
Dudley began by piggy-backing off of an earlier report by The Athletic, stating that Disney World in Orlando, Florida has become the frontrunner as the host site for the return of the NBA season.
Both Orlando and Las Vegas have been mentioned before, but Dudley added that Houston, and even Hawaii have been named as serious contenders to host the NBA recently, but said he believes it’s going to be Orlando when it’s all said and done.
“Orlando makes perfect sense because of Disney,” said Dudley. Disney owns ABC and ESPN, both broadcast partners with the NBA.
NBC LA reached out to sources with knowledge of the discussions, and they confirmed that Disney World is the frontrunner and that a deal is “close, if not imminent.” During the conference call with Dudley, he said that players would need at least six weeks of training and practicing to ramp up before the season resumes, and mentioned a start date of mid-June for training camp 2.0 to begin, and mid-July for the season to resume. Multiple sources confirmed both of those dates and scenarios as well.
Dudley said that he’s 90 percent confident that the NBA season will resume, and stated that the only reason he’s not 100 percent is because the coronavirus itself could change any current plans and scenarios rather quickly.
Dudley also cleared up a misconception that has been rumored when it comes to the one-site “bubble” scenario. Regardless of which site hosts the NBA, the original assumption would be that players would have to leave their families and quarantine at one location for multiple months in order to be able to resume play.
Dudley said that’s not true. Not only did he say players would be allowed to bring their families to Disney World in Orlando, he added that players would be able to come and go as they please.
“You will be allowed to leave,” he said. “Now just because you leave, if we’re going to give you that leeway, if you come back with coronavirus, you can’t play.”
Dudley agreed that there would be added pressure to not leave and return with the virus, thereby letting down teammates and the organization. Dudley even joked that, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the teams two superstars would be “wrapped in bubble wrap.”
Dudley said players would be tested every day, and that restaurants, pools, and even a golf course would be open during the season just for the players, staff, and their families.
When asked if he thought all 30 teams would have to return to Orlando to finish the season, or if the league would jump straight to the playoffs, with or without play-in games, Dudley said he’s heard rumors of all those scenarios, but ultimately believed the league would go straight to the playoffs with each round being the traditional seven-game series.
Dudley believes “older” teams like the Lakers, Rockets, and Bucks will be hurt most by the long layoff, but agreed that most of the players want to finish the season and crown a champion.
“The bench will be more crucial than ever,” Dudley said because of the long layoff.
When asked if he was concerned that the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, the Lakers, would have no home court advantage in the one-site scenario he said confidently, “Our advantage is we have LeBron and AD, and you guys don’t.”
Finally, Dudley shared his personal experience with going to the Lakers practice facility in El Segundo recently. The facility officially opened last Saturday on a limited basis.
“It’s similar to a hospital,” he said. “You pull up and get your fever checked. Then they ask you some questions. It takes about two minutes, it’s really fast. They make you slip off your shoes before you come in the building. You have to have a mask everywhere except the court. On the court, the assistant coach wears a mask and gloves and has to keep his distance.”
Dudley knows it’s different and strange to practice under those conditions, but said he’s been texting and talking to his teammates, encouraging them to return to the practice facility and get ready for the return of basketball.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are poised to reopen their practice facility. They will schedule voluntary sessions for players starting Thursday.
Timberwolves to reopen practice facility at Mayo Clinic Square —
By PAUL NEWBERRY ATLANTA — With an eye toward getting back on the field during a pandemic, the NFL is working on a helmet face guard that might provide the same sort of protection as a surgical mask. Atlanta Falcons president Rich McKay, who heads up the league’s competition committee, said the issue was raised…
COVID-19 has NFL considering helmet face guards that work like surgical masks — Press Telegram
La Liga will use a video analysis program to help it determine if a player is likely to have infected a teammate or opponent.
La Liga to use video analysis if player tests positive for coronavirus — P.M. News
La Liga will use a video analysis program to help it determine if a player is likely to have infected a teammate or opponent.
According to a draft protocol drawn up by the league, this will be put into use if the player tests positive for the coronavirus once the season re-starts.
The protocol was sent out to clubs in Spain’s top two divisions on Monday and is an updated version of the document clubs received earlier this month.
Teams in Spain’s top two divisions began training in groups of up to 10 players from Monday.
La Liga president Javier Tebas has said he hopes the season can resume from June 12.
Tebas has said the league’s safety measures meant the chance of a player being infected during a game was “practically zero”.
If a player tests positive after a match, they will be isolated while the facility they are staying in will be cleaned and disinfected, the protocol said.
Anyone in the player’s personal circle who has recently been in contact with them will be examined.
nalysts will then use the league’s programme Mediacoach to see which other players the footballer came into contact with.
The protocol added that any player who was in close contact with the infected player for more than five minutes would be tested.
This is because studies suggest the risk of infection increases when someone is in contact with someone for over 15 minutes.
The protocol also states that:
– Players and officials will be tested 24 hours before each match and have their temperature taken when arriving at the stadium.
– Balls will be distributed around the perimeter of the pitch and will be constantly disinfected.
– Players will be ordered to disinfect their hands before and after the warm-up.
– All players and coaching staff must wear masks and gloves upon arrival at the stadium.
– There will be no pre-match handshakes.
– Managers will hold post-match news conferences via video link.
Hockey is not for everyone. Read More
Aliu takes aim at NHL and lack of inclusivity; Duchene puts health, integrity for return above all else — Toronto Sun
Hockey is not for everyone.
That’s the argument being made by Akim Aliu in a story he has written for The Players’ Tribune, published on Tuesday.
It’s also the title of the piece, with Aliu taking to task the National Hockey League’s “Hockey is for Everyone” campaign.
“The purpose of this story is not to drag everyone in hockey, or the sport itself, into the mud,” Aliu wrote. “This is about the biggest problems facing the game I love — and how we can fix them.
“I’m talking about the racism, misogyny, bullying and homophobia that permeates the culture of hockey. These issues have ramifications that most cannot — or will not — see. They are not fun to talk about.”
Aliu recounted some of his experiences that have been documented previously, including hazing incidents in the Ontario Hockey League involving Steve Downie, his Windsor Spitfires teammate at the time, and incidents with Bill Peters, his coach with Rockford of the American Hockey League, during which Peters used the N-word. Peters acknowledged last November using the “offensive language” a decade ago toward Aliu and resigned from his job as coach of the Calgary Flames.
“I speak about the racism in the game because that’s what I endured,” Aliu said. “But there are countless stories of white boys and girls being chewed up and spit out by hockey because of the sexuality or their gender identification — and those issues deserve just as much attention.”
Aliu noted he was “fortunate” to meet with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly at the end of 2019 to discuss some of the issues that he sees in the game, and that those discussions toward greater inclusivity continue.
But much work has to be done, Aliu said. Changes at the grassroots level would be a start, and the NHL could be more open to interviewing minorities for coaching positions.
“We should be showing off the diversity our game is capable of having,” Aliu said. “I know there are kids like me out there who have a hard time seeing themselves in the NHL.”
To finish the piece, Aliu said: “Hockey is not for everyone. Not yet.
But it damn sure should be.”
An attempt by Postmedia to reach Downie was not successful.
VITAL ISSUES
For Matt Duchene, the return of the NHL to play at some point in the wake of the COVID-19 global pandemic, if that happens, must have two vital elements: Health and safety for all involved, and integrity of the game.
“For the players, for the coaches, the training staff, everything — it needs to be safe,” the Nashville Predators forward said during an interview Sportsnet 590 The Fan on Tuesday.
“We can’t have any risk of anybody getting this thing and I think that’s going to be our ultimate, biggest hurdle for every sport coming back. Guys have families, guys have young children, I think it’s just (important) that we can’t put sports and the business of sports and the revenue and all that above that.”
The NHL seriously is considering a 24-team playoff format once play resumes, with the majority of logistics to be ironed out. It’s not yet clear how the announcement on Tuesday by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that the Canada-U.S. border will be closed to all non-essential travel for another month will impact the NHL’s plans, but the league is hopeful that any affect would be minimal.
“The integrity of our game has to be maintained,” Duchene said, “with what the Stanley Cup means with the guys’ names on the Cup, what they went through, 82 games, and then 20-plus games to win the Stanley Cup.
“I would like to see as traditional a format as possible. There is no fair way to say who should be in and who should be out because of not playing the full season.
“For lack of a better word, somebody is going to get screwed. Let’s keep it as traditional as possible. I would love to see us jump to a 16-team playoff, normal playoff, four out of seven, maybe you are playing a little more frequently because guys are going to be fresh and you can play a game at 3 o’clock on Friday and play at 7 on Saturday and there is no travel.
“You don’t want to have a COVID Cup. I’m worried that if we come back and force this thing and it’s gimmicky or if it’s not quite right, whoever wins the Cup is going to have people trying to take it away from them their whole lives. They don’t deserve that, the guys who come back and ultimately win it.
“Our game is one of the games that has the most integrity in the world and I know guys are going to want this to mean something if we do come back.”
ICE CHIPS
CCM Hockey announced that the first 100,000 surgical masks it is donating to protect front-line medical workers in the battle against COVID-19 have arrived. The Montreal-based company, with help from Air Canada, has arranged for delivery of the masks and has coordinated with health authorities across Canada to distribute the masks immediately … The National Women’s Hockey League announced that the Toronto entry to begin play in the 2020-21 season will be called the Toronto Six … Your 2019-20 American Hockey League all-rookie team: Goaltender Cayden Primeau (Laval/Montreal); defencemen Joey Keane (Hartford/Charlotte/Carolina) and Brogan Rafferty (Utica/Vancouver); and forwards Alex Formenton (Belleville/Ottawa), Josh Norris (Belleville/Ottawa) and Jack Studnicka (Providence/Boston).0
Lakers legend Magic Johnson may no longer be playing in the NBA, but the Hall of Fame member is still making valuable assists. Johnson announced that EquiTrust Life Insurance Co., of which he owns a majority, is providing $100 million in capital to fund federal loans for minority and women business owners who have been […]
Magic Johnson will provide $100 million to fund loans for minority-owned businesses struggling amid pandemic — KTLA
Lakers legend Magic Johnson may no longer be playing in the NBA, but the Hall of Fame member is still making valuable assists.
Johnson announced that EquiTrust Life Insurance Co., of which he owns a majority, is providing $100 million in capital to fund federal loans for minority and women business owners who have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
EquiTrust will work with MBE Capital Partners, a lender that specializes in asset-based loans for minority-owned small businesses, to distribute the loans through the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program.
The loans are aimed at supporting people of color and women who operate businesses in underserved communities, according to a news release.
The news was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
“These are incredible businesses, small businesses, that have been the pillar of our community that also employ a lot of black and brown people in our community,” Johnson said Sunday on MSNBC. “… We wanted to make sure that minority-owned businesses got small business loans through the PPP program.”
The partnership was borne out of a concern that women and people of color were having difficulty accessing the loans offered by the Small Business Administration’s emergency coronavirus relief program — part of the federal government’s massive stimulus package.
“Johnson’s EquiTrust is providing critical financial support to underserved communities and businesses that have been traditionally neglected,” EquiTrust and MBE Capital Partners said in a joint news release. “These small and diverse businesses often have difficulty developing strong lending relationships with big banks.”
The goal is to help 100,000 businesses secure resources that will sustain them through the pandemic, MBE Capital CEO Rafael Martinez said on MSNBC.
The Paycheck Protection Program has been plagued by technical hiccups and questions about whether lenders were prioritizing the businesses that needed the money most after several deep-pocketed companies received loans, including the Los Angeles Lakers — the storied NBA franchise that Johnson was long affiliated with. The team returned the money.
After the initial $349 billion Congress allocated to the program ran dry, lawmakers replenished the fund with an additional $310 billion. Still, there have been concerns that money earmarked for smaller lenders is running low.
Advocacy organizations say businesses owned by people of color are inherently at a disadvantage. The funds are accessed through banks and participating SBA lenders — relationships that people of color are less likely to have.
The Center for Responsible Lending estimated in April that approximately 95% of black-owned businesses, 91% of Latino-owned businesses, 91% of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander-owned businesses and 75% of Asian-owned businesses were unlikely to receive a PPP loan through a mainstream bank or credit union.
The federal CARES Act, which created the Paycheck Protection Program, instructed the SBA to prioritize underserved and rural markets. But a recent inspector general report found that the agency had not communicated this priority to lenders.
The report also found that the SBA did not require demographic data to identify borrowers of the program in underserved markets, making it hard to determine how much funding was going towards the intended communities.
LeBron James reiterated Monday that he is hopeful the NBA season can resume, with the caveat that the health and well-being of players won’t be jeopardized by a return to play.
LeBron James hopeful the NBA season can resume — BCNN1 WP
The Belmont Stakes will be run June 20 in New York without fans and serve as the opening leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown for the first time in the sport’s history. The New York Racing Association on Tuesday unveiled the rescheduled date for the Belmont, which will also be contested at a shorter distance…
Belmont Stakes will lead off Triple Crown on June 20 without fans — Press Telegram
The Belmont Stakes will be run June 20 in New York without fans and serve as the opening leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown for the first time in the sport’s history.
The New York Racing Association on Tuesday unveiled the rescheduled date for the Belmont, which will also be contested at a shorter distance than usual. The 2020 Belmont will be 1 1/8 miles instead of the 1 1/2-mile “test of the champion” that has been the race’s trademark for almost a century.
“The Belmont Stakes is a New York institution that will provide world-class entertainment for sports fans during these challenging times,” NYRA president and CEO Dave O’Rourke said. “While this will certainly be a unique running of this historic race, we are grateful to be able to hold the Belmont Stakes in 2020.”
This is the first time the Belmont will lead off the Triple Crown ahead of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. The Kentucky Derby was moved from May 2 to Sept. 5 and the Preakness from May 16 to Oct. 3 amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Belmont was originally scheduled for June 6. But racing in New York halted in late March after a backstretch worker tested positive for COVID-19, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo didn’t give the green light to resume until Saturday.
Live racing is gradually ramping up operations across North America because tracks feel they can operate safely and still make money without fans on site because of online betting and TV revenue. More than $90 million was wagered off track last year on Belmont day, and NYRA gets a cut of that money along with revenue from NBC.
Horse racing officials have grappled with the complexities of a shifted Triple Crown season that doesn’t require the same of 3-year-olds in contention as it has in years past. The Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont are usually run during a six-week span in the spring.
“Everything’s going to be different this year, right?” trainer Mark Casse said. “If well-planned out, it can be just as exciting. Why not? I don’t know if it’s necessarily the time of year. It’s just the events, and you’re still going to have great events.”
The Belmont is only being run two weeks after it was scheduled, but the shorter distance changes the complexion of the race and the Triple Crown. It has been run at 1 1/2 miles each year dating to 1926 and last ran at 1 1/8 miles in 1894.
NYRA said the distance adjustment was made “to properly account for the schedule adjustments to the Triple Crown series and overall calendar for 3-year-olds in training.”
Just 13 horses have won the Triple Crown, most recently Justify in 2018 and American Pharoah in 2015. –The Associated Press.
Professional athletes have had to get creative in regards to their training with the coronavirus pausing seasons and closing team facilities. Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown has been able to do just that. With help from his grandfather, Willie Brown, the fourth-year Celtic is working hard to make sure he’s ready for whenever the NBA…
Jaylen Brown Explains Awesome Way He’s Stayed In Shape During NBA Hiatus — NESN.com
Professional athletes have had to get creative in regards to their training with the coronavirus pausing seasons and closing team facilities. Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown has been able to do just that. With help from his grandfather, Willie Brown, the fourth-year Celtic is working hard to make sure he’s ready for whenever the NBA season resumes. Jaylen told The Boston Globe that Willie, who spent his earlier days sparring with Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and Sonny Liston, has been training the 23-year-old with a pair of boxing gloves on. “We said we needed him to help me train and get back ready for the season, so he could feel comfortable sticking around here,” Jaylen told The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach in a story published Monday. “But on the other side of that, he’s like, ‘OK, we’re going to train then.’ We’ve been training hard and a lot,” the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft said. “On one hand, it’s great that he’s comfortable being here, but on the other he’s making me work my (butt) off.” Jaylen admitted the workouts are a bit different than the ones he’s grown used to at Auerbach Center. “He has me doing a lot of things I’ve never done before,” Jaylen said. “It’s the old way of training. Everything he does is kind of a throwback, but it’s good. He’s never been stagnant, and I got that from him.” Boston fans certainly are eager to see how it will pay off for Jaylen when the Celtics (hopefully) are able to return to the hardwood.
Read more at: https://nesn.com/2020/05/jaylen-brown-explains-awesome-way-hes-stayed-in-shape-during-nba-hiatus/
Rejoice, sports fans, their return to California may not be far off. Well, maybe. Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state is eyeing the first week of June to begin to allow live pro sporting events, as well as “a number of other sectors” of the economy, “if we hold these trend lines.” But upon being…
Coronavirus: Pro sports could return in California by June, Gov. Gavin Newsom says — Times-Standard
The view from left field 