It seems like we’re finally getting teases of there being a light at the end of this tunnel without any sports to watch.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the face of the fight against coronavirus, recommended ways to bring them back Wednesday, and President Donald Trump is incredibly eager to to make it happen.
An idea that’s been floated around the NBA is to finish out the season in a centralized location, like Las Vegas or The Bahamas, once COVID-19 testing becomes more widely available.
The best venue idea yet, however, came Thursday from Yahoo Sports’ Keith Smith.
Buckle up, we’re potentially going to Disney World. Because it makes a lot of sense.
For one, Smith, a former Disney employee for 10 years, points out the obvious reason. It’s in a large city, but Disney’s giant campus is contained from the rest of the world. And the property is pretty sufficient for the NBA’s purposes already.
“It’s a big task for any one place to pull off, but Walt Disney World has the infrastructure to handle massive events each day because it largely runs as a self-contained city already,” Smith said. “To cordon off a section of its property when the resort is already closed isn’t the monumental task it would be for a public property in the middle of a big city.”
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There’s ample accommodations on the property as well as food and beverage locations that could be used to feed all NBA personnel. And they’re resorts, so plenty of ways to stay busy during down time, while staying contained in the NBA village.
What Disney also boasts that other potential venues don’t is ample room for courts. At the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, the HP Field House, the Vista Center and The Arena can fit at least 12 courts that already are in broadcast-ready facilities.
Pro sports have been deemed an essential service in Florida if closed off to fans, and not to mention, the NBA already has great location with one of Disney’s holding companies, ABC.
“If the NBA is serious about a single-site location to salvage the 2019-20 season, Walt Disney World seems to be the only logical choice — whenever that will be,” Smith said.
Of course, there are many questions unanswered. Could players have the option to bring their families, or what happens if they don’t want to do it all together?
Still, this is one of the best suggestions yet, and it probably can be done on a quick timeline.
We’ll see what happens in the coming weeks.
