Golden State Warriors: It’s time for NBA owners to step up
By Tony Pesta
The COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak has brought the 2019-20 NBA season to a stop and it’s time for the league’s owners to step up.
The world is working hard to contain the coronavirus outbreak before it grows out of control. One of the necessary precautions has been to suspend the NBA season until the virus is less of a danger.
With two members of the Utah Jazz, Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, testing positive for the COVID-19 virus, it’s important the league minimizes the potential spread of the infection by putting the season on pause.
This is a great decision from Adam Silver. It’s hard to tell how deadly this disease will become but it is always better to be safe than sorry. These anticipations will hopefully limit the damage this virus deals on the country.
Aside from the threat of the disease itself, there is another problem the league will have to address. With no NBA games being played, how will the workers who depend on arena operations for a paycheck be able to pay their bills?
Some players have already stepped up to offer a helping hand. Kevin Love knocked down the first domino by donating $100,000 out of his own pocket to the workers at Rocket Mortgage Field House.
Since then, other athletes such as Zion Williamson, Blake Griffin and Giannis Antetokounmpo have followed suit. This is a wonderful trend that is heartwarming, to say the least.
However, the league’s owners should be the ones rising to the occasion right now. They are in wealthier positions than the players and are the ones responsible for running the franchise.
As of now, only a few owners have pledged to continue paying their arena workers. Some of these include Joe Lacob, Mark Cuban, Dan Gilbert and Tony Ressler. The Warriors, in particular, have managed to rack up one million dollars for their arena workers.
The hope is that eventually, all 30 owners will join this movement. It is the right thing to do in this time of crisis for many.
For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website or the website for your state’s Department of Health.