Black Friday typically refers to the mad rush of holiday shopping that begins in the U.S. the day after Thanksgiving. Those roughly 30 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas can be the difference between profit (in the black) or something else, shall we say (in the red).
When we think of Friday, June 19, 2020, and we think of North American sports, the term Black Friday applies.
However, there was nothing good on this day. It was a really bad, awful, terrible day.
Consider that during this one day…
- The Philadelphia Phillies announced that eight players and staff contracted coronavirus; all were in Clearwater, Florida, site of the team’s spring training camp
- At least one player on the Toronto Blue Jays, who also was working out in Florida, reportedly has symptoms of the virus
- Before day’s end, all Major League Baseball camps were closed temporarily to allow for deep cleaning
- Major League Baseball’s team owners and players continue to be close enough to make a deal that would allow for an abbreviated 2020 season, but neither side appears ready to finalize it; the animosity between the sides is as bad as you think
- The Tampa Bay Lightning announced that five players and staff contracted coronavirus; Tampa and Clearwater are not far apart on Florida’s west coast
- A Toronto newspaper reported that Auston Matthews, one of the league’s top young players, had come down with the virus
- Clemson University reported that 21 of its football players had contracted coronavirus; those players add to a growing list of student-athletes who have come down with the virus since universities opened their doors for student-athletes to voluntarily workout on campus
Moretti's Musings 