Spanish Players Union says that we can’t continue like this.

The Spanish Basketball Players Union (Asociación de Jugadores Profesionales de Baloncesto – ABP) posted a powerful statement today on its website, basically saying that we can’t continue the season like this.

They refer to the current second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. Every day, teams report new infections, games are rescheduled or postponed, teams go into quarantine, and entire leagues have been suspended. It is an unworkable situation. Especially since several pan-European leagues require international travel and different lockdown rules in different countries.

Chaotic schedule and disconnected fans

In the press relase the Spanish Basketball Players Union says:

“We have barely been in the national and European professional basketball season for a month, and it is rare to have a week that no postponements are announced due to positive cases of COVID-19 in some clubs. The ACB matches, for the moment, are being rescheduled to complete the rounds and continue advancing in the competition. If we look at the Euroleague, the same thing happens. Postponed matches, suspended trips, squads in quarantine. With a big difference, ten countries are involved with their corresponding health situations in the Euroleague. Maintaining the same competition system has not been the most appropriate decision to ensure the health of the protagonists of our sport.”

“In a few weeks, the calendar will not be able to be completed, and we will have to find solutions. There will be a complicated crossword to solve to play all the initially planned matches. This will also test the fans’ involvement. They won’t know which round, or which competition, a match belongs to. The leagues’ logistical capacity to reschedule games and protect the health of the players will be overloaded.”

The Spanish Basketball Players Union seems to suggest playing in “bubbles.” On a national level, that might work, but how to combine that with the pan-European competitions. Take, for example, some teams from the former Yugoslavia. They play in their national league, some of them also play in the Adriatic league and at the same time also in the EuroLeague or Eurocup.

Create bubbles

The Spanish Basketball Players Union says:

“The protocol that was applied in the final phase of the ACB in Valencia proved its effectiveness. Thanks to basketball players, clubs, and doctors’ help and involvement, a resounding success was achieved. The Basketball Champions League, with its adaptation of the calendar, has been able to protect its competition by offering much-needed flexibility. This shows that calendars and competition systems are not fixed and immutable structures. The quality of our basketball is also demonstrated by its ability to adapt to exceptional moments like the ones we are experiencing”.

There is a logic to all the above. Games are already played without fans practically everywhere. Aside from the big leagues, most of the games are not televised anywhere. Then it doesn’t really matter where the games are played. Home and away games have no special meaning. Dates and times are also less relevant.