Welcome to a new episode of Real Talk from OSYL. In this episode, we answer 3 questions regarding our mental health and how it may be impacted during the pandemic. The discussion is an open-ended one, as we share and acknowledge each other respectfully. We continue to show solidarity and support, for we all have our own demons to fight.
Though this can be a breezy short read, there are a couple ways to listen to the podcast. For the audio portion of the podcast, you can listen below or download directly here: https://realtalkwithosyl.buzzsprout.com/
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Are professional sport teams above the law? If we treat pro sports as a business entity at the end of the day, are they not above the same governmental guidelines that govern local businesses in the community during the covid-19 pandemic? Though we enjoy the entertainment--it brings back a sense of something common we can all cheer for and lay aside politics in all of its form for--sometimes we see the bigger picture of this large organization being in the middle of keeping a sense of normal (pre-COVID) and being the pioneers of progressing on to a better and safer future (during and post-COVID). Some may argue pro sport teams have no business in healthcare, yet, they have access to some of the world's best medical care and technology that can lead to the forefront of combating how we view COVID. Not to go down the rabbit hole and get into the politics of things, however, seeing pro football return brings back excitement, yet, anxiety. In this episode, we welcome the return of our special guests, Jerrol, Jomar, and Ray, as they had participated in the previous 2 sports episode. We all got together to catch up on sports and our fantasy teams, and discuss the following 2 questions overall:
From part 2 of our discussion on pro sports during the pandemic, and before the NFL actually returned, we speculated that by week 4 the corona virus would shut down the season. As of this episodes release, we are 10 weeks in to the regular NFL season. Thoughts on the season so far?
Is this a step back from pro league sports being the leaders in COVID safety regulations?
The return of professional football gives most Americans a chance to lay down their guard for awhile and join in on watching entertainment that'll distract them a little from the pains of the real world. Especially during this pandemic, it is a welcoming sight. In this episode, we discuss general logistics that the National Football League (NFL) must be battling. Unlike professional basketball and their success by playing in the "bubble," football as a sport presents different sets of issues the managers in that world must navigate. Prior to this episode and before the NFL season had began, we speculated (somewhat jokingly!), that the NFL would be shut down less than 5-weeks into its typical season. How wrong we were. As of this episode, the NFL season will be playing their 10th week of games. Though, its not to say that they have been immune to COVID. They had a few scares of teams locking down and almost at the brink of disqualifying themselves. We discussed how it seems as though the NFL was not managing their teams and the safety of their players health properly. It appears that instead of shutting down the season, even if for a few weeks to reduce the spread of COVID, they'd rather switch schedules around and hope for the best and let those same infected teams play still. Again, all speculative, but it does shine a red flag to the viewers.