After a week full of speculation, it’s now being reported Disney World is the clear favorite as the hosting site if the NBA is to return anytime in the relatively near future. How do we know this? Well, I’m glad you asked, pal. The Athletic has put sources and reporting to paper — ugh, laptop.
The NBA has Orlando/Disney World as a clear frontrunner for return-to-play site for resuming 2019-20 season, sources tell me and @sam_amick. Orlando has gained significant seriousness among other cites such as Las Vegas.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 20, 2020
There’s a lot of unpacking here to do, but a large reason for this is simple. The state of Florida is already welcoming pro sports back into the fold. Pro wrestling companies the WWE and AEW are both holding shows — though, without fans — in the state thanks to being deemed essential businesses. A similar thing would apply to all sports in the state.
And this leads us to why the NBA would choose Disney World specifically. From The Athletic report:
As for Orlando, its candidacy has everything to do with the synergy between the NBA and Disney, which owns the league’s main media partner, ESPN. As Keith Smith of Yahoo! Sports laid out so well in mid-April, Disney World has the hotel space and basketball-ready venues necessary to get this job done. The fact that it’s private property could make it easier to control the outside element, which is a major bonus when it comes to limiting interactions between NBA personnel and the public.
As the report went on to note, Disney World reached an agreement with workers to safeguard them from the ongoing pandemic.
Nevertheless, until the NBA is for-sure coming back, which is starting to feel inevitable at this point, the league will weigh its options. Usually when reports like this come to the surface, it means someone is in a position where they want to gauge public reaction to the leak.
As always, only time will tell what happens next with the NBA and whatever “next” season.
Follow Us
Subscribe