Paul Lewis: The guilty pleasure of sport's impending return

COMMENT:

It's hard to express the feeling of anticipation building up – in my house anyway – over the impending resumption of sport.

The lockdown was a tough entertainment ask when we were all barricaded at home. Netflix, yes, the internet, yes, movies – all good. But not as good as the urgency and drama of top flight sport beamed to your living room or in the flesh at a stadium near you.

I didn't even attempt to watch the filler replays of old, revered matches. It would have been like watching an old sci-fi movie like The Thing From Another World – world-leading in its day (1951) but woefully out of time now.

Now the NRL is about to start up on Thursday; Super Rugby on June 13. Yet there are two conflicting emotions at play – enthusiastic, five-more-sleeps eagerness on one hand and a nagging doubt whether we are doing the right thing on the other.

It's undeniable that only those countries who have handled the Covid-19 virus with some success are able even to contemplate a re-start. For that, we have the Government to thank and the majority of Kiwis who abided by the lockdown laws, plus handy geography and a bit of luck - even as we acknowledge the tragedy of those who lost loved ones. The crisis bred feelings of community and togetherness, a single purpose, maybe not felt in these parts since World War II.

But, even though sport will kick off again to the resounding silence of empty stadiums, you still wonder what will happen if Covid-19 commits a foul, infecting a player or players. That aspect has been causing concern in countries who have not been handling the virus well.

Stand up, the UK and the US. In the former, Premier League football and Premiership rugby seem riddled with doubts and potential delays as they consider their own re-starts. Premier League stars like England internationals Raheem Sterling and Danny Rose have expressed reluctance to play while the virus stalks British lungs everywhere.

Watford's Troy Deeney declined to attend small-group training after three teammates made up 50 per cent of the Premier League players who tested positive in one check. Deeney is also motivated by the fact the virus kills four times as many black people as the UK's national average – and his five-month-old son has breathing difficulties.

Watford's Troy Deeney. Photo / Photosport

New Zealand has not had to confront such stark realities or at least not in such profusion – which is why we are not hearing professional athletes profess doubts about kicking off the NRL or Super Rugby now.

There is talk of the Premier League starting up again in the middle of June – perhaps fanciful given the players have not yet agreed and the belief many footballers are not yet properly fit nor prepared for the resumption.

Premiership Rugby is even worse off. There are few player complaints but no date set. Early July has been mooted but rugby players need even more time than footballers to get up to speed for the physical side of the game. The UK government has yet to agree to anything – leading to desperate suggestions of some sort of non-contact hybrid competition.

Whatever that would be, it wouldn't be rugby – so we in New Zealand can count ourselves lucky with what is about to be served up here.

There's just that tiny, nagging doubt. One of the mysteries of Covid-19 is how many people are asymptomatic and how many of them are "super-spreaders" – like the choir singer in Washington last week who infected 52 people in two and a half hours of belting out hymns. Nearer My God To Thee indeed.

Germany – another country that has responded to the pandemic well – is in the second week of its "bio-secure" Bundesliga, played in front of no fans and which is being closely watched to see if it is, in fact, bio-secure.

And, let's be honest, there are reasons why sport is being permitted to start up again. First, many sports bodies would go belly up if they didn't honour contracted broadcast obligations and other financial imperatives.

That would mean lots of unhappy punters – and the Government is aware of the impending election (not to mention a new leader of the National Party) and will be keen to keep stoking the fires of community spirit ignited by the lockdown. After all, the last time we were a "team of 5 million" (well, 4.5m) was the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Sport has always been a great unifier in New Zealand. Photo / Photosport

There is even talk of 5000 people being allowed to get into Eden Park to witness if the Blues are still resurgent after their long lay-off. That might be a bridge too far just yet but would be helpful financially as well as aiding the atmospherics.

What happens if a player or players come down with the virus? Okay, there's testing, quarantine, isolation and tracing and all can be carried out swiftly and with deep dives to track other threats.

Yet the Washington choir singer had no symptoms and the choir observed social distancing and did not shake hands or hug. But they still lost 52-0.

You wonder just what havoc something similar might cause from a game of rugby or league – where close contact is the polar opposite to what we have been striving for in the last two months.

So while I am waiting eagerly for the pleasure of watching top sport again, I just don't want it to turn into a guilty pleasure.