Quote Originally Posted by COYS View Post
One thing that I think the leagues need to consider even if there is a way to ramp up testing to the point that athletes can be tested every day is what happens when one player tests positive and then the whole team has to be quarantined? Even if the pie in the sky ideas of self-quarantined leagues are feasible, it is inevitable that with thousands of people involved from the players to the coaches to the staff, etc, that someone, somewhere will get sick. As of right now, the medical and scientific communities don't know how long it takes for a person to go from exposure to the virus to becoming sick or where in that process the person also becomes contagious. To avoid infecting the whole league, basically the entire team would suddenly be quarantined.

The ramifications of that are huge. Imagine if the NBA got its wish to play the playoffs in Vegas using the hotels to quarantine the players, staff, and families. But now imagine that Lebron tests positive and has to sit out for two weeks and the rest of the Lakers are forced to sit out until they test negative for the virus for x number of days in a row. Either the schedules would have to be incredibly flexible (which would require a longer period of isolation for everyone involved in the event) or the league would keep playing games and risk that the biggest match-ups of the season could happen without the biggest stars.
I think the counterargument to this would be "if we test the whole team every day, then only the positive tested guys would be out." But that still leads to a substantial problem. Let's take your example where the Lakers are in the playoffs and LeBron tests positive. Even if the rest of the team tests negative and can play, they are now at a huge competitive disadvantage moving forward because LeBron would be out. And what if one team has a bunch of guys infected, such that their roster is decimated? Are they expected to proceed with a half team? Forfeit the game?

Even the scenario in which testing is both effective AND so quick and easy and available that it doesn't create a conflict with the healthcare system to conduct massive daily testing efforts for sporting participants has some huge logistical problems in the absence of a REALLY effective treatment and/or a vaccine.