Jim Nantz: NCAA Tournament may offer ‘some joy’ as U.S. deals with coronavirus news
CBS Sports and Turner Sports recently held a webinar for broadcasters working the NCAA Tournament, and unsurprisingly, the talk turned to the coronavirus.
“This comes at a time where the country really needs more than ever a chance to have something that brings some joy/fun into their lives, more of an escapism, if you will,” lead play-by-play man Jim Nantz said Tuesday in a conference call. “Like everyone else, we have no idea where this is going over the next three or four weeks and we’ll adapt to whatever the NCAA decides to do with the tournament.”
There is an air of uncertainty across the sport world as the virus spreads in the United States. On Tuesday, the Ivy League said it would not hold its postseason tournament, while four major sports leagues said reporters would not be allowed in locker rooms/clubhouses.
Jeff Zucker, the chairman of WarnerMedia News and Sports, said everything is proceeding as scheduled with the tournament coverage. He also echoed Nantz’s feeling about the impact on the psyche of the nation.
“Obviously, we’re in close contact with (the NCAA) but this is their decision to make to the degree that any decision needs to be made,” Zucker said in the call.. “I know they’re in contact with local governments and that’s really what will determine whether there will be any changes to the tournament.
“I think this tournament comes at an important time in the country. I think not withstanding the incredibly serious nature of what’s going on with the virus, I think the tournament can hopefully be an outlet of emotional and psychological relief for much of the country.”
Nantz also speculated about broadcasting a game in an empty arena, hours before Ohio governor Mike DeWine asked fans not to attend games indoors. The First Four is in Dayton, while Cleveland is a host city of the first-round of the NCAA Tournament.
“This is totally an NCAA call,” Nantz said. “We’re going to do whatever we’re asked to do, but I can only try to imagine what it would be like as a broadcaster. ...
“All these things are swirling in the air right now. So many hypotheticals right now. ... The hardest thing to get your mind around is calling a game with so much at stake with no crowd, no excitement in the building. What would that feel like? What can you think of that you’ve done that ever would be comparable to that?
Nantz said he has worked with potential broadcast partners by calling games in a studio, but it would be much different being on-site.
“I’m sure this would be another generation beyond that in terms of trying to stay focused on the game and at the same time push yourself to be excited over plays, because there’s not going to be that energy wave that’s constantly in the building in NCAA Tournament games,” he said. “You can’t see it, but you can feel it. And you absolutely modulate your voice against it, trying to cut through.
“Well, if you’ve got an empty building, you are going to hear a lot of squeaking sneakers. You’re going to hear the coaches calling out plays and defenses. That’s gonna come out loud and clear. There’s not going to be a whole lot else that’s going to be there as far as atmosphere in the arena. So, hopefully it doesn’t come to that.”
Charles Barkley, who will be do studio work, believes playing games without fans or even canceling contests wouldn’t make much sense.
“It’s a very serious thing, obviously,” Barkley said. “I don’t know all the answers, but they act like just not having sporting events ... what are they (fans) going to do? So that’s what concerns me about no fans at sporting events. Well, they still gotta go to work. (They’re) just gonna be walking around in the world. So, yeah, you took the thing out of going to a sporting venue, but these people still gotta live their lives. So my question is not having fans at a sporting events, is that somewhat of an overreaction? I think that’s a fair question.”
This story was originally published March 10, 2020 at 2:03 PM.
