Mark Madden: Athletes can't be forced to play, but they will want to get paid eventually

It looks doubtful any of America’s major sports leagues will start or resume. The minute a plan is formulated, it’s poked full of holes and said to be unworkable.

If you want it to be impossible, of course it’s going to be impossible. If you’re looking for reasons to not do it, you will find them.

LeBron James’ declared fortitude duly noted, athletes are scared to return (like Manchester City soccer’s Sergio Aguero) or can’t understand that their usual bubble of perfection is compromised. Los Angeles pitcher Clayton Kershaw said he would refuse to be isolated from his family for several months if that’s what’s required.

Healthcare workers are doubtless scared. But they show up for work. Military personnel are away from their families for long periods.

Sure, those are false equivalencies. Healthcare workers and military personnel have essential jobs. Athletes do not.

So, why do athletes make so much more money than healthcare workers and the military?

If you have a job and you’re scheduled to work, show up. That applies to everyone. Athletes sign contracts. Sports contribute to morale, now more than ever. There are only four more episodes left in that Michael Jordan documentary.

The athletes will kibosh any planned start or resumption. The only hope for the return of sports is football. The NFL has insane power and the backing of networks. NFL players do what they’re told.

But athletes who play in a league that uses a salary cap had better beware. That applies especially to the NHL.

The NHL is in deep kimchi even if it does finish the season. The league relies heavily on ticket revenue, and fans will not be in the stands no matter the resumption plan. But losses could be mitigated a bit if the league collects TV money by returning, especially during the playoffs.

NHL players are supposed to be hardcore competitors. But Montreal’s Brendan Gallagher and Los Angeles’ Drew Doughty say they don’t want to pick up the regular season because their teams won’t make the playoffs.

If that’s a reason for not playing, those teams could have just not showed up this past October.

If the NHL abandons its season, players could see salaries slashed by 40-50%. Contracts are “guaranteed” save money put in escrow against alignment with the cap, which gives players 50% of hockey-based revenue.

The players would get none of that escrow. The NHL might be within its rights to ask for givebacks as per the cap. That continues next season, whenever that is. It’s unlikely fans will be in the stands then, either.

If athletes think their bubble is currently being violated, wait until their paycheck gets cut by a big fraction. The revenue just won’t be there.

Nobody can force athletes to play. But if a plan is deemed feasible by medical personnel and the athletes decline participation, it’s not reasonable to expect owners to absorb 100% of the financial hit moving forward. That’s why leagues use a cap.

Players might have to eat a little inconvenience if they want to get paid. Being temporarily separated from your family is an inconvenience, nothing more. Heck, MLB has been known to have three-week road trips. You’re not gone forever.

UFC and pro wrestling promotions WWE and AEW have continued to stage events in empty arenas for TV. There’s plenty of body contact involved with those endeavors, but nobody’s catching covid-19, let alone dropping dead. If UFC and wrestling (and baseball in South Korea and Taiwan) can find a way, why can’t big-time sports that have far more resources?

Some advice to the NHL and NBA: Whenever you do play again, resume the current season. Shoot for a small window. If you abandon this season in favor of starting a new one, what if you have to abandon that season, too? Baby steps.

Some advice to all leagues: If you do play, and an athlete catches the virus, treat it like an injury. Isolate that athlete. Test everyone that athlete has come in contact with. But keep playing. We will likely never reach a time when covid-19 is 100% eliminated.

As for the return of fans, here’s one way: Triple ticket prices, then practice social distancing by selling every third seat. Sure, that makes watching sports live into something only for the elite. Big deal. We’re headed for dystopia anyway. Give the occasional ticket to a poor kid, and ESPN can do a documentary on that. (But the kid can’t pose for a selfie with one of the athletes. Social distancing uber alles.)

Or, just never play sports again. We could virtue-signal full-time. That’s the new national pastime. Standings could be kept: Who cares most?