Ep. 102: Why Sports During Covid-19 are Problematic AF – Michael-Shawn Dugar, the Athletic and Andrew Hammond, the TNT

Live sports are an important part of my life and this show. Before we departed the states we were season ticket holders to Tacoma Defiance, Sounders FC, and Husky football and had half season passes to Reign FC and the Rainier’s (I miss you Estadio Cheney). I was also the in-stadium announcer for Lincoln Football and back-up for basketball. In the past on this show, we’ve talked MLS, NWSL, Women’s World Cup, USL, and the NBA. But today, particularly in the US, life and sports are being upended by the Covid-19 outbreak.

There’s a lot to unpack in this situation. Americans in search of a feeling of normalcy are desperate for sports. But there are racial overtones to these demands, particularly in college sports, where the unpaid players are far more Black than the fans that cheer them on.

I don’t think America deserves sports right now, so I wanted to talk through all of this with some guests.