Bubbles and Green Zones

By: Naomi Bar-Yam

There are many ways in which sports, professional sports in particular, are a somewhat distorted microcosm of US life and culture. Like the rest of US society, sports leagues struggle with revenue and safety considerations in setting their standards for reopening. Teams cannot practice remotely, and games require travel.  Social distancing is not possible in professional sports, nor is it possible to avoid heavy breathing, known to increase risk of transmission. Masks during practice and games are not feasible, and would not solve the transmission problem with such close contact.

As players tested positive, seasons were suspended and shortened Sports associations and the parallel players’ associations developed plans to bring sports to their fans in need of a fun activity, while maintaining safety of their players and continued revenue stream. Some plans were more successful than others; they continue to evolve.

Players play in empty arenas and stadia, considerably mitigating risk but also reducing the revenue, value and fun.

NBA and NHL created “bubbles” for their players with strict rules for separation from family and community, frequent COVID testing, ongoing measurement of relevant vital signs, contact tracing, distancing and masks off the court,. All 22 basketball teams are sequestered together in Disney World, under the same roof(s), rules and conditions for the duration of the shortened season. NHL arranged for two bubbles, in Toronto and Edmonton, Canada, with travel only between those bubbles for games.

The Leagues, players’ associations, medical experts and relevant government officials came together to discuss, argue, discuss some more, decide and together own the plans and their execution. The plans include many, many details: food (professional athletes in season require A LOT of food and a well balanced healthy diet), safe, distanced entertainment and social activities, medical care, laundry, religious services, etc.

The COVID 19+ track record of both basketball and hockey is quite good. They have gotten to zero.  Players feel safe and, within the bubble, they experience some semblance of normal. The next phase in NBA’s “opening up” is bringing family members safely into the bubble. This, too, involves isolation, testing, and strict rules.

In summary, sports bubbles:

• are community wide efforts requiring agreement, participation and ownership of everyone involved;

• require strict measures;

• must include isolation and quarantine spaces if someone tests positive;

• use advanced technology, frequent testing of multiple types, contact tracing and isolation/quarantine;

• must provide all services needed by the community;

• are expensive, but not as expensive as cancelling sports seasons completely.

“Bubble” is sports language for “green zone.” Let’s imagine for a moment, what it would look like to expand the Disney World or Edmonton bubble. NBA is taking the first step by making it possible for family members to join. Perhaps this involves additional hotels within Disney, or a hotel that is associated with Sea World or Universal Studios, also in the Orlando area.  Travel and contact between facilities in the bubble is allowed.

Next, imagine expanding to one or two communities where Disney/Sea World/Universal employees live with their families. What is involved in making them a part of the bubble or green zone?

• Community involvement in and ownership of its plan to join the bubble, including following all of the rules of the bubble.

• Daily or twice daily temperature and symptom checks (there’s an app, or two or three, for that) reported to a central location;

• Check in phone calls, texts, and safe (masked, distanced, brief) visits, organized through religious communities, scout groups, service organizations to assure that vulnerable community members have what they need.

• Hotel space at Disney/Sea World/Universal Studios for those who need to isolate and quarantine to keep household members safe, costs covered by Disney, NBA, the city.

• Shopping and other services within the green zone could be carried out normally. Grocery stores and pharmacies outside the bubble require delivery or curb side pick up;

• Travel freely within green zones, no-contact travel through red or yellow zones until they too are green;

• Once the towns where hotel and other staff live are green the schools and other stores, services, agencies can open, slowly and carefully.

None of this is easy or cheap, it wasn’t easy or cheap for NHL or NBA or its players and team staff.  But the business and financial leaders of each team, the league and the players ran the numbers in multiple ways and determined that it was better than the alternative – no season at all for at least 2019-2020, possibly longer.  Creating successful community green zones is, of course, not nearly as costly or elaborate as renting Disney for the entire NBA. And communities will take advantage of lessons learned in Orlando, Edmonton and Toronto. However, like professional sports leagues, the financial and human resources invested in creating, expanding and linking green zones will repay themselves many times over in full economic, educational and cultural activity, lives saved, safety, short and long term health costs.

One more thing: let’s imagine that, after the Stanley Cup and NBA championships, teams return home to their friends, neighbors and fans; home to communities with several hundred to several thousand new COVID 19 cases per day. Imagine that they use their experience, knowledge, mistakes and fixes, resources and sense of safety and wellbeing that they experienced in Orlando, Toronto and Edmonton to create green zones in their neighborhoods, towns, states.

Just imagine! Now let’s make it happen.