Fear

Today is the day for the wisdom-view, for with it wisdom is realized and fulfilled.

Last year, it wasn't until the NBA cancelled a basketball game in March that the covid pandemic became a reality for many Americans. Twenty-one months later, the sports world is now facing the omicron variant, which has caused infections, hospitalizations and deaths to climb across the United States. 

Yesterday, the NBA postponed a total of five games involving nine teams in response to rising covid numbers.  Three Sunday games were called off - Cleveland at Atlanta, Denver at Brooklyn, and New Orleans at Philadelphia. Also shelved were Orlando’s game at Toronto on Monday and Washington’s game at Brooklyn on Tuesday.  The postponements came on the same day that Atlanta announced star guard Trae Young entered the league’s health-and-safety protocols and the Los Angeles Lakers said coach Frank Vogel also was added to the list.  Leaguewide, there were at least 75 players from 20 teams who have either been ruled out to play - or in the case of the postponed games, would have been ruled out - because they are in the protocols. 

That number has soared in recent days, with the NBA just one of many sports leagues worldwide dealing with a rapidly worsening issue. Brooklyn’s list of players in protocols includes suiperstars Kevin Durant and James Harden.  To help fill their depleted roster, the Nets reinstated Kyrie Irving, who has missed the entire season because he is not vaccinated, but then he tested positive and went into covid protocols before playing a single game.

Omicron is affecting other sports, too. The NFL rescheduled three football games this weekend to account for outbreaks.  The NHL announced that it's postponing all cross-border hockey games until after the holiday break that begins December 23, suspending 12 games against Canadian teams that were set for Monday through Thursday this week. The Premier League in England called off most of its games this weekend. 

It's NCAA Football's bowl season, and so far nine bowl games have been played without cancellation or incident.  But with some campuses closing or going to on-line learning, it remains to be seen if all of the remaining 35 bowl games, including the CFP Championship Game, get played.