Coronavirus and NBA hypocrisy and PR spin

Per Skeptical Raptor's 1-year observation, yep, it was when Rudy Gobert was announced as testing positive — and having touched all those mikes, which helped piss off teammate Donovan Mitchell — followed by the NBA putting its season on hiatus and etc., that "we" realized this might be serious. Raptor admits underestimating the vaccine effort, and also profiles a year of COVID quackery. Remember hydroxychloroquine?

That said, the Raptor also expects the mutation rate to not slow down. He does hope that it becomes milder, and thus, eventually, like today's flu (which used to be the Spanish flu, dreaded by Monty Python and more seriously by others). That would make it an "acceptable" endemic.

 

• Sadly, though, as CJR notes, re the Raptor's observation about the NBA, Commish Adam Silver has loosened the reins this year. In links, it notes that 50 players have tested positive, including four Spurs at one time. As Dookies know, you can miss the Big Dance (they likely weren't going anyway) in the NCAA with positive tests. As beisbol fans know, a number of players have tested positive in spring training while others have busted protocols. 

 

Also sadly, as led by Red Satan, comments about this have gone in abeyance. 

LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo led opposition to the NBA All-Star Game, but ultimately caved. It's about their share of the Benjamins as well as the NBA's; if they were REALLY concerned about health issues, they would have boycotted. That said, the players union, with lesser players really wanting their smaller share of Benjamins, approved it.

CJR's Kyle Paoletta says the real issue is that NBA beat reporters, like those at the White House, like "access." He says the answer comes in looking at their NBA brethren and getting more adversarial.

Money quote:

 

Silver benefits from the ineptitude of Roger Goodell.

 

Bingo. Paoletta then goes into detail to indicate Silver also benefits from the hard-assed stance of his predecessor, David Stern. He also references Tyler Tynes, formerly of The Ringer, who says the NBA is overall "James Crow" to the NFL's "Jim Crow."

Example? Mark Cuban had asked the NBA to ditch the Star-Spangled Banner. The song's additional verses past the first are racist. Also, it started playing at sports events in 1917, part of Woodrow Wilson's hard-ass nationalism, which in turn, in part was targeting white ethnic minorities like German-Americans. Silver said no.