The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is about to get very busy… I’ll admit that I am not more than a casual sports fan. My husband, on the other hand, has always loved sports. He’s not into college games, it’s professional sports that he enjoys watching. He’s also a former radio Sports Director, and I can’t tell you how many high school games I’ve been to because he was the play-by-play announcer. It’s been strange not having live sports on, at least in the background, the past couple of months.
All of that is soon going to change. I have mentioned in the past that the NBA has been working on a deal with Disney to finish the 2019/2020 season at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. The idea has been approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors. The games will start in late July, and 22 teams will participate. If I’m understanding things correctly, the teams that were in playoff contention before the shutdown will be the teams who will play. It is unlikely that fans will be present. You are not going to see players walking around the Magic Kingdom on their off days, they will be isolated from the rest of Walt Disney World. From what I have heard, they will not even have Disney housekeeping. There’s a rumor that states that all those involved will stay at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.
There is another sport that also is reportedly going to return soon. Major League Soccer is working on a similar deal with Disney. For MLS, it will be a tournament that will take place in late June. It would be a 26 team tournament. Major League Soccer is very popular in the Orlando area because of the Orlando City Lions. Again, the games will be closed to the general public.
Right about now I think that any live televised game will “score” huge ratings (pun intended). While I haven’t seen an “It’s Official, Here Are the Details!” announcement posted about either sport, the local news stations are reporting both like they are done deals. I know that my husband will be happy to be able to watch live sports again. Truth be told, I probably will be as well.