I, for one, have been enthralled by what I've seen on some of the ESPN cornhole competitions throughout this stay-at-home period. Recently, seeing a high schooler take down the No. 1 cornhole tosser in the world provided fans with peak live sports excitement relative to what we've been able to experience over the past two months.
But Mark Cuban isn't on the same wavelength.
"We need something to get excited about," Cuban said in an interview on ESPN's Now or Never. "I mean, watching cornhole on ESPN ain't it."
Of course, I too would prefer if there was something to watch other than cornhole, or marble racing, or the occasional UFC bout that I'd prefer not to spend additional money on. But, just as there are several reasons why we should return to sports, there are just as many reasons why we need to wait and exercise extreme caution before doing so.
NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal has openly shared his stance on the matter, saying that he thinks commissioner Adam Silver "should just call it this year... and come back next year" when it's safe to do so in an appearance on The DA Show on CBS Sports Radio. Charles Barkley echoed similar sentiments, telling the hosts of ESPN's The Dan LeBatard Show that "it's too dangerous" and that he's not sure how they'd make it safe enough to carry on.
But Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, disagrees with what the two legends have offered as their thoughts.
"I love those guys but they're wrong," Cuban said. "Guys want to play, there's still a season to be finished out, I still think we can play a few games and then go into the playoffs and crown a champion... let's go, let's play."
Obviously, Cuban is aware of all the safety precautions needed to manage such a season, but he thinks that the NBA has a better chance to do so effectively in relation to other leagues like MLB and the NFL.
"With the NBA it's 15 guys... so it's a little bit easier to keep track of everybody," Cuban said. "The players manage each other. They know which guys is dying to go out and do the wrong thing, so the players will help keep them in line. But when you have 25 on a baseball or 53 on a football team, that's when it starts to get rough.
"So, how it's all managed and how players relate to each other and support each other is going to be critical to making it work."
Commissioner Adam Silver recently met with the league's Board of Governors, and apparently the feeling at the end of the meeting was one of optimism about "momentum toward an NBA return to play this season."
With a powerful voice like Cuban on the same side, that momentum should continue to grow so long as everyone is in accordance with what measures would need to be taken to ensure the health and safety of the athletes and staff of the league. Apparently, on the player front, LeBron James and Steph Curry are among the stars who are heading a group that would be in favor of restarting the season given the appropriate measures.
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