Thursday cannon fodder: reality

The Coronavirus is wreaking havoc on everything we know and love. It’s gone from something people were treating as a punchline a couple weeks ago to a scary and real problem. In times like this, sports are far from the most important thing, but we’re a sports website, so that’s where our focus goes.

COVID-19 is seriously disrupting the sports world. The NBA suspended its season, the NHL may follow suit, and the NCAA looks like it’s going to cancel the entire tournament. Italy is on lockdown and people are being quarantined all over the world. In TSF’s particular orbit, we’ve had one Arsenal match postponed because a number of players on the team may have been exposed, and it looks as if the Premier League might go behind closed doors.

It’s hard to write about anything Arsenal-related when this is going on, when lives are at risk. Trying to figure out if Aubameyang should be playing up front instead of the wing seems like the last thing I should be thinking or talking about. But as an Arsenal fan, having the Premier League season be suspended or canceled would come as a perfect bow, the cherry on top of a shipwreck of a season.

I’m very glad Watford beat Liverpool just before the virus became a pandemic. If Liverpool had gone unbeaten, we might not have heard the end of it from their fans. It’s the little things in life that keep us sports fans going.

I don’t know what’s next. That’s way above my pay grade. But I am interested to see what happens and how the sports world responds. We’re getting close to the Euros and the Olympics this summer being at risk. Of course it goes without saying that public health comes first, but major international events add some life to an otherwise dismal summer sports calendar; I can only watch so many baseball games.

Above all, I want to wish people the best of luck in the scary times. I understand that words won’t put anyone at peace with what’s occurring in the world right now; but please be safe and courteous to the people around you, and I know we will get through this just fine. This too shall pass.