NBA's pandemic 'bubble' model for other leagues

Posted January 2021

By Andrew Gonzalez

Cub Reporter

When the NBA season in the "bubble" in Miami finished, basketball fans wondered where teams will play next. Without a doubt, COVID-19 has ruined 2020 for billions of people around the world, including fans of the National Basketball Association and other sports agencies.

This led Adam Silver, the NBA CEO, to think of an idea where the fans would still be able to participate in going to the games without losing revenue, a place where the players could still play. They needed a place that was big enough to house 770 NBA players and staff members. Because of this , they decided to build the campus at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

The feedback for Silver’s decision was astronomical. The bubble earned the NBA $1.5 billion in revenue, some generated by fans who were able to pay for their faces to be put in the virtual stands via Zoom meetings.

For players, life in the bubble was pretty much normal.

“The hardest adjustment probably is just not being able to do what you want to do," stated Lakers Center Javale Mcgee. "It’s sort of like being in college and being in a dorm and going to eat food that they prepare for you.”

With the 2020-21 season starting Dec. 22, NBA teams have found new places to play while minimizing risk of infection. They've decided to play in their arenas with the stands empty, which should be optimal. For now, however, we’ll just have to wait and see how it turns out.