The NBA Bubble at Walt Disney World
We're going to be honest. This topic would normally be in left field for us. We don't talk much about "sportsball" here in this blog, and we struggle describing what a "seed" is. We sure haven't talked about the ESPN Wide World of Sports. But then, 2020 happened, and suddenly... it's kind of a big Disney deal.
Unless you've been living under a rock, you probably are aware that the NBA is finishing their season (which were rudely interrupted by none other than the coronavirus) at Walt Disney World. You may know they are playing the games at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex on Disney Property. The 22 participating teams in the NBA are also being put up at various Walt Disney World resorts.
In this post, we're going to talk more about what the Wide World of Sports complex is, what is meant when we hear the term "the NBA Bubble", and the extraordinary measures that are being done at Walt Disney World to make this season possible.
What is the ESPN Wide World of Sports?
Credit: WDWInfo
The ESPN Wide World of Sports is a Disney complex that was built in 1997 to host sporting and entertainment events. It has 11 baseball and softball diamonds, 17 multipurpose fields, and overall 700,000 square feet of playing space including an arena, a field house, and an athletic complex. Most importantly for the purposes of the NBA, indoor space can be transformed into 20 basketball courts. This is more than enough space for multiple games to occur simultaneously while allowing practice space for other teams.
This is where 22 NBA teams will finish their season in the course of the next 2 months. They will be playing games in arenas empty of fans, but ESPN and several other press teams are there to broadcast games. Because the arenas are empty of fans, though, additional cameras could be installed, including rail cameras along the length of each court. So if you watch the games, let us know if you notice any interesting shots. (Camera shots, that is).
Also, in a nod to current events, at least some of the courts that are being used for televised games have been painted with Black Lives Matter rather than team names.
Source: AP
What is the Bubble?
We've talked about what we call the "Disney Bubble" for a long time before 2020. At Walt Disney World, where you can't even see the end of the property from most places on property, where newspapers aren't delivered, and where you don't see fire trucks or police cars, the Disney bubble has always been that thing that can only be created somewhere as large as Walt Disney World. For us, it's always been where the real world ceases to exist in the best of all possible ways.
But the NBA Bubble is the new "Disney Bubble", and it plays on the strengths of the "old Disney Bubble" but it's a lot less carefree.
Carrying out the season safely is the top priority and really the only way the season can be completed, which is not a small order in the middle of a pandemic. Consider also that Florida is a hot spot right now, recently reporting more cases than New York (and that's a LOT of cases). So how do players stay safe? Well, a two-tiered bubble is how.
The first tier, the inner bubble, is that for players and some full time press. Teams are each housed at a Disney resort. Here is a list of where each team is staying, in order of seed (which apparently determines nicest accommodations... though all of these resorts are top notch):
Top Seed - Gran Destino Tower: Bucks, Lakers, Raptors, Clippers, Celtics, Nuggets, Jazz, and Heat.
Grand Floridian: Thunder, 76ers, Rockets, Pacers, Mavericks, Nets, Grizzlies, Magic
Lowest Seed - Yacht Club: Blazers, Kings, Pelicans, Spurs, Suns, Wizards
Upon arrival, players are issued a wristband (much like any guest), and an extra "special" green wristband we will call the "bubble band". The green wristband signifies players are in quarantine. This quarantine lasts 10 days. During this time, players must stay in their own resort room and not leave the room. Family cannot join players, nor can players have any guests. Meals are delivered three times a day (8 am, noon, and 6 pm) and during quarantine, generally do not offer a choice from a menu but rather include multiple bags of items where players could choose to eat some and not others. These quarantine meals did not go over well with players.
Here is a picture of one of the offerings. If I were an NBA player, I can't imagine this would've gone over well. But given I'm short, not athletic (and therefore have low caloric requirements) and sit on my bum all day, this looks delightful.
Credit: @NBACentral (via Twitter)
Any trip outside the bubble or contact with someone outside the bubble resets the quarantine clock back to zero. This is pertinent because player Richaun Holmes apparently accidentally left the bubble to pick up a food order and had to reset his quarantine. They are not playing games with the bubble.
Players however could have packages sent to their rooms to have some extra personal and entertainment items, and could participate in zoom calls, etc during the initial quarantine period.
Once a player completes quarantine, they lose the green band and can move more freely about their team resort and to practices at the sports complex. But it's not yet a free-for-all. There is a 113 page handbook of rules, including rules about playing cards with teammates: You can, if you all wear masks and discard the deck when the game is over. Also, players get a COVID test daily, complete a symptom questionnaire daily, and a hotline has been established so players can anonymously report violations of the bubble.
The tier-two bubble is for press that will not have direct contact with players. The rules are a bit less strict, but still involve COVID testing periodically, and a short one-day quarantine in the resort room before being able to go out.
What is Interesting about the Bubble?
Honestly, we find a lot interesting. For one, it is interesting that Walt Disney World's properties can and are being used in this way. Because of the sheer amount of space both at the sports complex and number of resort rooms, it is actually entirely possible to create a bubble separate from the rest of Florida with the specific purpose of keeping NBA players safe from the virus. And if this is possible at Walt Disney World, it will be interesting to see if this can be adapted to cities and towns.
It is interesting the NBA players are being asked to abide by a 113 page handbook of safety procedures, and are doing so, at the risk of missing games no matter the player's value, in the name of safety. Players have been asked to give up their family, interaction with anyone outside of their teams, and many freedoms normally enjoyed. It is also the first time in NBA history that a player can be removed from a game due to violation of quarantine.
But we also find it interesting what accommodations Disney and the NBA have been able to make. For example, the food gets much better after quarantine. Teams have a team dining room where they can order from a menu of options prepared in collaboration with the team Dieticians.
Also, because golf has been found to be so popular among players, Disney is hastily erecting a driving range for player use to keep up with demand. There are also dedicated bowling hours, and access to boats and fishing, and the barbers have been called in recently, which was apparently met with much excitement.
Aside from Disney, ESPN itself has gone all out, turning the parking lot of the ESPN Wide World of Sports into an Olympic-village style studio complex. From the air, it looks like several trailers with temporary larger roofs set over each (probably to keep rain or hail sounds from interfering with recordings?). Word has it that there are different studio spaces themed to each team.
In short, the NBA season restart is like nothing that has ever happened before on Disney property, and it's been interesting watching how it plays out and what is possible.
We hope you found this look at what's happening right now at Walt Disney World interesting. Don't forget to share your thoughts or comments over on our Facebook page by responding to the post of the same name as this blog. If you like us, you can also share our page with friends. Look for a new blog next week, and until then...
