When I hear people talk about cutting their TV cable package, I realize there鈥檚 only one reason for me to retain it: sports.
I could do without everything else on TV. But I would miss my hockey, football and baseball, and some of the other stuff I watch casually.
So it鈥檚 ironic that I haven鈥檛 missed live sports that much in the past four months. Maybe it鈥檚 because the COVID-19 pandemic hit in mid-March, when the weather was starting to warm up. By the time the mad rush of covering everything associated with the pandemic had subsided in early April, we could do other things besides yearn for playoff hockey.
For me, I like to go for a jog or a long walk, then come home, sit on my deck, barbecue supper, drink a couple of craft beers, read a book and listen to some music. I don鈥檛 sit out on the patio and think to myself, 鈥淕eez, I really wish I could be inside watching a baseball game鈥� when it鈥檚 20 C outside and I鈥檓 listening to the music of some independent rock group I recently discovered.
On those rare nights in which I was confined indoors, I鈥檝e had work on my condo to complete.
If this pandemic would have started in November, it would have been difficult trying to get through the winter months just sitting indoors.
Well, we鈥檙e starting to see live sports return. There has been this MLS is Back tournament for Major League Soccer. (I haven鈥檛 watched it). Major League Baseball鈥檚 opening night was Thursday. The NHL and the NBA start right away.
Yes, I get my television back. Hockey is back. We鈥檙e going to get several games a day that start in the morning and go all day. Saturday morning playoff hockey should be the best thing to happen to my television on a Saturday morning since I was six years old and discovered those iconic cartoons based on Hasbro toys.
Here鈥檚 the conundrum: it鈥檚 still summer out.
In July and August, I don鈥檛 want to see ice. I don鈥檛 want to think of ice. The only ice I want to see is in my drink.
August long weekend? I鈥檇 rather be golfing, or sitting on my deck and having a beer, or lighting up a cigar, or doing anything other than sitting inside and watching television.
I鈥檒l watch some of the games, but not a lot of them. There鈥檚 lots to do in August that doesn鈥檛 involve leading a sedentary lifestyle.
There was one positive for me with sports in recent months: I enjoy horse racing. At one time, it was pretty much the only sport going. You could actually have thoroughbred racing during the pandemic, due to the size of the venues, the limited number of people who actually need to be at the track each race, and the simple fact that people can wager online rather than at the track itself.
It鈥檚 not a gate-driven sport. Most tracks don鈥檛 even charge an admission fee.
Haven鈥檛 watched any NASCAR or golf. No interest in Major League Soccer and the MLS is back tournament. (A couple of teams had to withdraw due to COVID outbreaks among their players).
We鈥檒l see how long the return of live sports lasts. I鈥檓 a little more confident in the ability of the NHL to finish its season than the NBA, because Edmonton and Toronto aren鈥檛 as hard hit by COVID-19 as large U.S. markets.
I鈥檓 not sure how long Major League Baseball will keep going, either. They鈥檙e likely the most susceptible to a COVID shutdown, because of the amount of travel that鈥檚 ongoing, particularly to areas of the U.S. getting walloped by the virus. (Maybe baseball should have had gone with the hub city format).
I hope we鈥檒l get a CFL season. It鈥檚 going to be tough to reach an agreement, get the American players up here, have them go through self-isolation for 14 days and get a short season in. If there is a season, it will be in Winnipeg.
I鈥檓 fine with that. Manitoba has likely done the best job of handling this pandemic out of any jurisdiction in North America.
The bad news is since Winnipeg is the hub city, it gives the players another reason to not want to play this season.
I don鈥檛 know how many games I鈥檒l watch. Some won鈥檛 be able to get enough of the games. Others will be like me and want to enjoy their summers.
But hockey will be the best thing for me to watch on a Saturday morning since the original Transformers series.
