On ‘SECOND BASE’ with Dale Brown No Penn Relays Carnival

Dale Brown

NEW JERSEY, USA. Wednesday, March 25, 2020--For the first time in 125 years the Penn Relays have been canceled.

This action was due to the health concerns caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

An estimated 15,000 athletes and over 110,000 spectators were expected at the Relay Carnival.

Prior to this cancellation, it was announced by the authorities in Jamaica that the contingent of Jamaican High Schools would not be participating in this edition of the Penn Relays.

This meant that with the majority of the expected 110,000 spectators being Jamaicans, the Carnival and the city of Philadelphia would most certainly suffer an economic fallout due to their absence.

…And no Summer Olympics, too

On March 24, after much speculation, it was finally announced by the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that the 2020 Olympic Games would be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. He stated that the games would be held during the summer of 2021.

It is estimated that Japan invested between $32 and $41 billion in hosting the expected 10,000 athletes and the 500,000 international visitors.

The Games had been canceled three times before, in 1916, 1940 and 1944, due to the World Wars.

Apparently, the withdrawal from the Games by Canada and Australia in addition to the UK and USA, requesting a delay in the staging of the quadrennial Summertime spectacle, may have pressured the Japanese and the IOC to make an announcement earlier than intended.

The decision to postpone the Tokyo Games to 2021, has created a potential giant puzzle.

The prudent course of action would be that the World Athletics Championship scheduled for 2021, will have to be canceled and allow the 2023 event to stand as scheduled.

It would not be surprising if another course of action is taken, give what will be a crowded 2021 schedule.

Stay tuned!

Soccer in Europe

UEFA and the European Clubs Association have clearly stated that their intention is to resume the English Premier League (EPL), on April 30.

Teams have either 9 or 10 games remaining on their 38-game schedule. The goal will be for the season to be completed by June 30.

There is talk of playing the games without the presence of spectators. Despite this suggestion, the players have cited fears for their own safety and more importantly, the safety of their families.

The players are also worried about increasing the risk of injury due to the possibility of playing many games in a short period of time, coming off an unexpected, prolonged rest.

Any talk of the EPL season being declared ‘null and void’ should not be considered or entertained, just as it would not be practical for Liverpool to be declared champions.

If any of those scenarios become a reality, the clubs would risk having to pay back approximately 800 million pounds to the TV Rights ownership.

Plus, the integrity of the league would be seriously questioned because apart from the crowning of a champion, the following must be considered:

-       The top 4 teams will qualify for the Champions League

-          The 5^th place team qualifies for the Europa League

With Liverpool on 82 points and champions Manchester City on 57 points but still awaiting the results of the CAS hearing, Leicester 53, Chelsea 48, Manchester United 45, Wolverhampton 43, Sheffield United 43, Tottenham 41, and Arsenal 40, all have realistic chances to qualify for either league.

Then, there is the matter of promotion and relegation.

Leeds and West Bromwich Albion for example, deserve to be promoted from the English League Championship to the EPL next season.

The season should be played to the completion of the fixtures. Trophies will be handed out and teams should be promoted and relegated as per usual, thereby minimizing if not eliminating any second-guessing!

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Dale Brown is a sports historian and co-host of SECOND BASE, a sports talk show on www.weeradioonline.com, Tuesdays at 7:00 pm.