MLB, NBA, and NHL have all seen success with player bubbles
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant negative impact on various industries and businesses, but professional sports have found a way to continue operating. That seemed unlikely in the early days of the pandemic, as virtually all leagues worldwide were forced to temporarily shut down. Mixed martial arts (specifically, the UFC) tried to come back, and did so successfully, but several fighters contracted the virus, leading to cancelled bouts. Then, something changed: the “bubbles” arrived in professional sports.
The term “bubble” describes a closed-off environment of people and places in which members stay so that they can compete but not contract the virus. Strict COVID-19 testing and even stricter rules surrounding outsiders coming to the bubble seemed like the best idea for the leagues that wished to play during the pandemic. Two of those bubbles were very successful, though they came with their share of controversies.
The NBA bubble succeeded, despite the players occasionally not following through with the rules. The good news? COVID-19 cases were few and far between, as the league played 172 consecutive games without a single positive test. The bad news? Players didn’t always love the rules.
The most famous example was Los Angeles Clippers premier bench player, Lou Williams, who was caught going to the Atlanta strip club, Magic City, after a brief approved absence that did not allow for such actions. He stated that he attended the club solely for the purpose of buying chicken wings, which are named after Williams on the club’s menu, although the NBA still suspended him for 10 days upon his return to the bubble. These types of situations, however, were easily resolved and did not seem to put the players at an increased risk overall for contracting COVID-19. The bubble was no small feat for the NBA — and no small investment at $180 million — but with the help of players, staff, and commissioner Adam Silver, they did about as good a job as they could do, finishing the season with no cases in the bubble.
The NHL also had a bubble that struggled to find a home at first due to COVID-19 restrictions. They decided to try a two-city bubble between Toronto and Edmonton, with players from the United States travelling north of the border. Like the NBA, the NHL also completed their bubble with zero cases, helping to set the standard for bubblers around the world in other sports.
Unlike other leagues, the MLB chose not to bubble for their season until the playoffs. At the halfway point in their season, Major League Baseball had cancelled over 40 games due to COVID-19 cases throughout their year. An earlier bubble could have potentially prevented some of those cases and cancellations.
Two of the most prestigious tournaments in tennis, the U.S. Open and French Open (considered Grand Slams), both decided to try a version of a bubble for their players. Though they had mixed results and some competitors withdrew during the qualifying rounds due to travelling concerns, both tournaments succeeded in finishing with very few cases.
It’s very possible that leagues in North America will continue bubbling for their seasons during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the off-season being the time that players return to their homes to work on their skills and see their families. So far, so good for the bubblers of sports!
