Half-court shot attempts before the buzzer sounds.
Hail Marys.
A swing for the fences.
All of these are desperation plays in sports that always seem to fail. The percentages are low. The execution is flawed. And the results are minimal.
But, that’s what “our President” did on Saturday when he called sports commissioners to discuss the country’s response to COVID-19, as he wants sports to return by the end of the summer, leading to the NFL starting on time.
The irony is beyond laughable. But this is a moment in which nothing is funny.
When Colin Kaepernick took a knee in 2016 all because he wanted police to stop killing black people, the country changed, literally. Trump called him a “son of a bitch,” and wanted every player who participated in the peaceful protest out of the league.
Laura Ingraham told black athletes to “shut up and dribble.”
Because people love to be entertained by black people but have no interest in their well-being.
But as we now know, coronavirus doesn’t care who you are. And when you can’t buy a vaccine or ignore the devastating effects of a global pandemic, all help is appreciated.
It’s why New Yorkers are thanking Robert Kraft and the Patriots for donating 300,000 N95 masks to the city. And why Stephon Marbury is being lauded for working on donating 10 million more. Athletes around the world are stepping up to give back, unlike most team owners, even when they don’t have to.
“The president recognized the good work being done by many teams and players to care for their communities, workforces, and fan bases across the nation,” read the White House pool report. “The commissioners thanked President Trump for his national leadership and for his interest in the sports industry. President Trump encouraged them to continue to support their fellow Americans during this challenging time.”
You can smell the desperation from the Oval Office.
When you’re an impeached president who has failed at protecting your country during a global pandemic at every stop, you’ll try anything. And that’s what Saturday’s conference call was. An attempt to throw spaghetti against the wall to see if it sticks, only to watch it fall to the kitchen counter.
We saw him booed when he showed up at the World Series, and at a UFC event. We’ve seen him take the field during two College Football Playoff National Title Games when they were conveniently located (Georgia and Louisiana) where his base is strongest.
And last but not least, the man that “promised” a wall and has instituted travel bans, recently called the son of Dominican immigrants (Alex Rodriguez) for advice as COVID-19 tears through your communities.
As this site has stated in the past, “This notion of ‘sports as catharsis’ has always seemed, at its best, like a trivialization of grief. At its worst, it’s an act of societal selfishness that gives permission to the unaffected majority to pretend everyone’s life is normal again — simply because theirs is.”
We’re all just trying to survive. And as much as we love sports, right now, it’s non-essential. Unless you’re a “leader” that would give anything to get out of the hot seat you willingly created for yourself, and us.
Donald Trump needs sports right now. He’s just failed to realize that sports don’t need him.
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