Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports that the Minnesota Twins “have been informed of several positive tests of COVID-19 among their players.” He says that none of the players were training at Target Field or Fort Myers, so presumably these are all tests of players that were scattered across the country and will now converge on Minneapolis. Or, assuming they are quarantined, near Minneapolis.
Add this to the ever-growing list of teams with multiple positive COVID-19 tests among their players. I suspect that in a short time each team will find itself in a similar situation.
In light of these reports, it is probably a good time to talk about how we are talking about them. Or how we’ll talk about them as baseball develops in 2020. Eireann Dolan inspired me to think about this a few minutes ago, and many of you know that he’s married to Nationals closer Sean Doolittle. Dolan tweeted a number of thoughts about all of this that I think are worth keeping in mind:
Uncritical analysis of this entire baseball environment will no longer suffice. Treating it like a normal season will not cut it. At a certain point, if it is clear that things are putting health or, God forbid, lives at risk, I will have to reflect on my own complicity or empowerment.
– Eireann Dolan (@EireannDolan) June 25, 2020
Reading or writing any article on “How These Positive Tests Impact Your Fantasy Team!” Don’t be gross. Don’t be arrogant about other people’s health. Remember that not only athletes get these positive tests. It is also the invisible staff with much less job security.
– Eireann Dolan (@EireannDolan) June 25, 2020
For this to work (and I think it can), 100% membership of 100% of participants is required 100% of the time during 100% of the season. Everyone has to do everything they can, but that’s a harder question for invisible workers because they may not have a choice about certain life decisions:
– Eireann Dolan (@EireannDolan) June 25, 2020
Yes, athletes are young / healthy. But there are thousands working in and around this baseball workforce, and not all of them are young, healthy, or millionaires. Those who suffer the most and are the most responsible are those who pay the least and are least viewed.
– Eireann Dolan (@EireannDolan) June 25, 2020
To be clear, this is not just the job of sports writers / broadcasters. It is up to all of us to remember the full context and the stakes: athletes, families, the media, fans, the league. We cannot pretend that this is normal baseball because it is not normal baseball, as much as I want it to be.
– Eireann Dolan (@EireannDolan) June 25, 2020
The notion of “traps” that we can fall into when discussing these things is key here. It could be really easy to filter out these stories of players testing positive for COVID-19 the same way we would with a hamstring injury or an oblique stretch. To think a little bit about what the player or the player’s family is going through and immediately do an autopilot on “what this means for the Dodgers’ rotation.” Or maybe use them as the launching pad for pranks we all turn to at times. Things like the Yankees’ injury streak over the past few seasons and saying something like “Oh look, the Yankees have ANOTHER player out of commission!” Or, if a Mets player tests positive, say, “Actually, the Mets just thought he had a pain in his elbow, but it was COVID.”
With baseball injuries, that sort of thing is understandable, even if there is an argument to argue that it is almost unpleasant. It’s a completely different deal with COVID-19. It is not a virus that these players would inevitably have. In the future, in-game people who get it will likely receive it due to the decision to continue with the 2020 season. It is also not something that only affects them and it is not something that only affects their ability to play baseball. It is serious business for the player, for their families, for team employees and their families, and even if the cases are minor, in terms of symptoms, it could affect the health of many people for years.
In light of that, treating news related to COVID-19 as if it primarily impacted a baseball team and its competitive position against humans and their families is the wrong way. We will try to do everything possible to adequately contextualize this news and not only see it as something that matters only by virtue of how the sport impacts. We hope you all do too.
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