Life in the bubble, David Shilovsky

Life in the bubble

The introduction of the bubble rule saved sport during the pandemic, but it took an immense toll on players and their families. David Shilovskyexplores whether this unprecedented move was worth it.

THE EFFECTS OF COVID-19 have been felt across nearly every aspect of society, and professional sporting organisations have been no exception. -

The outbreak of the virus couldn’t have come at a worse time for the NRL, who had been haemorrhaging money for years and had virtually nothing squirreled away for a rainy day (or a pandemic).

This meant they couldn’t afford to shut down for very long at all, but luckily, Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys came up with a plan to save the day — introducing a “bubble” system to allow the

Pictures: Lisseth Portillo

Lisseth league to function outside the realms of the Portillo greater public.

Each club would have a bubble in which only essential staff would be included –—players, coaches and support staff. Everyone included had to agree to strict biosecurity measures that would restrict what they would be able to do and where they would be able to go once under the bubble conditions.

The NRL itself would establish further restrictions – journalists and photographers found themselves unable to attend games as media passes were suspended. More cuts were made to staff at the stadiums where matches

would be played, such as security guards, cooks, cleaners and administrative staff.

The AFL didn’t enact their own bubble as quickly as the NRL, but eventually followed the NRL’s example. Similar set-ups occurred around the world, with leagues like the NBA and NHL centralising their respective bubbles in one or two cities across the United States and Canada. In Europe, all UEFA Champions League matches were played in Lisbon, Portugal. These measures meant fans were able to get their fix of live sport through live streaming, television and radio coverage. Governing bodies and leagues around the world were able to recoup costs through the revenue the broadcasts provided.

But what did the extreme conditions mean for those at the coal face — the players, coaches and their families? In some cases, it meant families were separated. The New Zealand Warriors had to move to another country for months, away from their children, wives and extended family. Melbourne Storm players and coaches faced a similar predicament when after seeing the spike of infections in Australia’s second most populous city, NRL bosses arranged a move to a Sunshine Coast resort. Rising COVID cases in Melbourne also meant its two A-League clubs fled to NSW and the rest of the league followed. Similar moves have been necessary for AFL clubs too. And once players acclimatised to their new surroundings, they were still living under much stricter conditions than most of Australia currently is.

Rugby league coach Wayne Bennett was recently caught simply having a nice dinner in Sydney. But eating out at restaurants is just one of the many activities those within bubbles are

no longer able to partake in. In fact, if a player or coach wanted to do anything that wasn’t going to training or arriving at the stadium on match day, chances are they wouldn’t be able to. I’m sure they are happy to still be employed and able to earn an income, but living under these strict conditions couldn’t be easy for anyone. As Victorian residents discovered, having your movements restricted is not a pleasant feeling.

But you’ve got to give credit where credit’s due. I take in a lot of sport – probably an unhealthy amount — and the quality of play across the Aussie football codes is as good as ever. For instance, the tussle between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Columbus Blue Jackets on August 11 was the longest NHL playoff game in 20 years and fourth longest of all time.

Players in sporting leagues all around the world can take a lot of pride in the sacrifices they’ve made recently, as well as the entertainment they’ve provided for a lot of people that take a huge amount of enjoyment from watching their favourite team battle the opposition every weekend.

We’ve never seen anything like this in the sporting landscape before and we probably never will again. It’s been a truly unprecedented 2020 for sport.