The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WHY can’t we have an “All Sports Matter” movement here in the Bahamas?

Come to think about it, with everybody frustrated with all of the social ills, coupled with the lockdowns and curfews as a result of the coronavirus, one of the easiest ways to help us overcome the pandemic is to get the adrenaline rush going in sports.

Sure, we lost out to Orlando, Florida as the National Basketball Association will now take their 2019/2020 postseason bubble to Disney World.

Hey, why can’t we stage our own bubble here in the Bahamas?

With the border now open, we could bring in our own star athletes from around the world through a virtual presence since they’re not playing in any major international competition and we could have a Bahamas Games type of competition.

With social distancing now the norm of the day, or the events, the focus of concentration could be limited to representatives from each discipline to ensure that we don’t leave any sports out of the limelight.

Using the backdrop of the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium with its seating capacity and the two large monitor screens, we can stage a debate over who the greatest sports athletes of all time are and establish the ranking of the top athletes in each discipline.

We could also settle some arguments about whether or not players in different eras can match up against each other and what could be the best possible national teams assembled.

I know it would take a lot of initiatives to pull off such a feat, but I’m thinking that because we probably won’t have the knee taken off our necks anytime soon for the return of competitive sports, this would be a good way to get some momentum going.

It might be too late to pull it off for the 47th celebrations of our Independence on July 10, but there’s nothing wrong with doing it before the end of the year, considering the fact that there might not be any major gathering like it used to be for quite a while.

Maybe some of the bright young minds in the country could conjure up a more feasible plan of action utilising social media to get the message across to the masses.

After all, we’ve seen a major decline in attendance at our sporting activities with many opting to stay home and chime into the viewing of international sporting events.

“All sports matter” could be the theme because the Bahamas has developed a rich history in just about every discipline and most of it has not been properly documented for posterity.

So let’s show the world that we not only can contain a coronavirus with the measures implemented to limit the amount of casualties, but we also have the ability to showcase our athletes, who have excelled on just about every stage you could imagine around the world.

A joint move like this could also help to pave the way for the proper recognition of our sporting icons and legends who, after they are deceased, are highlighted for their accomplishments, rather than “getting their flowers while they are alive.”

Already this year, we’ve lost some prominent Bahamian sporting personalities and from the sentiments expressed by those who benefitted from their generosity, there’s a lot of disappointment that they were not lauded in the manner in which they should have been.

Maybe it’s time for a cohesive unit of sports leaders coming together with a hands-on approach to ensure that what is needed is done, rather than waiting for the government to do it. Just like the move in the United States for social justice in the Black Lives Matter movement, maybe it’s time for an All Sports Matter movement for sports in the Bahamas.