For sports fans, Thursday, March 12, 2020, will go down as a day of infamy. Many will call it the worst day in sports history.
The whole thing started the night before, when the NBA suddenly suspended its season. On Thursday came the flood. Just before noon, Major League Soccer announced a 30-day suspension. Hours later, the NHL suspended its season indefinitely. Soon after, Major League Baseball called off all spring training games and postponed Opening Day by at least two weeks. At 4:16 p.m., the worst news of all came down from Indianapolis: March Madness NCAA basketball was completely canceled.
While fans reeled, the blow was worse elsewhere. To the workers who help stadiums and arenas run across the country, the news meant lost paychecks, which could be disastrous. The sports world wasn’t going to let that happen.
Before the dark sports day ended, Kevin Love of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers announced he would give $100,000 to help support the team’s arena and support staff at the venue. He was soon followed by Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, Blake Griffin of the Detroit Pistons, and even 19-year-old Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans, who all announced major donations to help their home arenas’ staff. The NBA player who first tested positive for the coronavirus, setting off all the cancellations and suspensions, chipped in as well — Rudy Gobert announced a $500,000 donation to arena staff and virus-related social services.
The support for stadium staff didn’t stop there. NHL players and owners announced similar gestures. By March 17, all 30 MLB teams committed at least $1 million to help ballpark staff who would not have been paid while baseball is postponed.
For multimillionaire athletes, it’s a small gesture. But for the staff who help make their careers possible, it’s a huge source of support in a time of uncertainty. No one knows when sports will get back to normal, but the workers who rely on sports to make ends meet know they’ll be taken care of.
