This week we share some news and notes from around the sports world.
It was widely believed the National Hockey League would be the only major sport without a player to take a knee during the playing of The Star-Spangled Banner, however, last Saturday, Minnesota Wild’s Mathew Dumba, changed that.
Dumba, a Canadian, was not playing in the game between Edmonton and Chicago, but he appeared at center ice for the pregame ceremonies, wearing a Hockey Diversity Alliance hoodie with “Black Lives Matter” written on the sleeves.
Dumba stood for the Canadian anthem but went down to one knee for the U.S. anthem.
“For those unaffected by systemic racism, or unaware, I’m sure that some of you believe this topic has garnered too much attention during the last couple of months, but let me assure you, it has not,” Dumba said prior to the game. “Racism is everywhere — and we need to fight against it.”
Dumba was at the game to represent Hockey Diversity Alliance, an organization that formed in June consisting of seven former and current NHL players. The organization’s mission is to “eradicate racism and intolerance in hockey,” according to the NHL.
Dumba is of Filipino (mother’s side) and Romanian and German (father) descent.
“I know first-hand, as a minority playing the great game of hockey, the unexplainable and difficult challenges that come with it,” he said.
CALLING THE GAMES FROM “HOME”
Many of the network and team broadcasters for Major League baseball and the National Hockey League, are broadcasting the games from either their own homes, or from a studio somewhere in their home markets.
Several of the NHL team broadcasters are working the games from a studio in their home team’s arena, while all the NHL games are being played in the “bubbles” of Edmonton and Toronto. NBC announced last week that their broadcasters would be spread out over several locations, broadcasting the NHL Playoffs.
According to the network’s press release, John Forslund, Mike Milbury and Brian Boucher will be on site in Toronto, while Pierre McGuire will be on site in Edmonton, but the rest of their commentators will be remote. Mike “Doc” Emrick will call games from a home studio in Michigan, while other broadcasters will call games and provide studio analysis from NBC’s studios in Stamford, Connecticut.
Likewise, MLB broadcasters are not being allowed to travel with their respective teams, in an effort to cut down on exposure to COVID-19. Tulsa resident, and Washington Nationals television announcer Bob Carpenter, told me last week he is staying put in D.C.
“We are doing the broadcasts from the home booth in the ballpark for all the games, home and away,” Carpenter said.
FALL SCHEDULE SPORTS
Some college athletic conferences have decided to cancel their entire football seasons, while others are limiting their football schedule to only conference games. As another story in this sports section points out, that is affecting the non-conference schedules of both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
The Summit League, in the meantime announced last week, the delay of the start of soccer and volleyball seasons. Oral Roberts University, a member of the Summit League, will now only play conference matches in men’s and women’s soccer, and volleyball, beginning Sept. 23. Although, that date could change, and it is still a fluid situation.
Three days later, the Summit League optimistically announced the conference portion of the men’s basketball schedule.
ORU PRESIDENT ON KFCO
This week, I will be filling in for Charley Biggs as guest host of the Tulsa Beacon Weekend radio program, Saturday at noon on 970AM KCFO. My guest will be ORU President Billy Wilson. We’ll discuss ORU’s preparedness for beginning classes while adhering to CDC guidelines, and the upcoming sports seasons.