FOURTH PLAYER WHO PARTICIPATED
IN A TOURNAMENT HE ORGANIZED TO
TEST POSITIVE.
I WANT TO BRING IN NBC SPORTS’
MARY CARRILLO, WHO I SHOULD
NOTE, IF YOU DON’T ALREADY KNOW,
FORMER PRO TENNIS PLAY ERK MUCHE
DECORATED.
SO GOOD TO SEE YOU.
WE WANT SPORTS BACK.
BUT AS BASEBALL IS ANNOUNCING A
COMEBACK, YOU’VE GOT PLAYERS
FROM PRO GOLF, HOCKEY, FOOTBALL
STARS, TENNIS, TESTING POSITIVE
FOR COVID.
THE NFL PLAYERS ASSOCIATION IS
URGING AN END TO PRIVATE
WORKOUTS.
IS THE SPORTS WORLD READY FOR A
SAFE COMEBACK?
>> MY FRIEND, I’VE BEEN WATCHING
YOUR WHOLE HOUR OF COVERAGE,
ANYBODY WHO THINKS THAT SPORTS
IS GOING TO NORMALIZE THIS
COUNTRY IS OUT OF THEIR MINDS.
WE ARE SO DRIVEN WITH PROBLEMS
WITH POOR JUDGMENT, SCANDALS,
LIES, I HAVE MISSED SPORTS, I
HAVEN’T WORKED IN A COUPLE OF
MONTHS NOW, I WOULD LOVE,
PROFESSIONALLY SPEAKING I WOULD
LOVE TO COME BACK AND START
TALKING ABOUT SPORTS, ON A
PERSONAL LEVEL, I LIVE IN
FLORIDA WHERE THE GOVERNOR
DeSANTIS DOESN’T EVEN BELIEVE IN
TELLING PEOPLE THAT MASKS ARE
NECESSARY, SO NOW TO BRING
SPORTS INTO IT, NOVAK DJOKOVIC,
LET’S TALK ABOUT MY SPORT, THIS
GUY WAS 18- 0 YEAR, HE’S BEEN
THE PLAYER OF THE DECADE, A GUY
WHO HAS BEEN PLAYING AND BEATING
TWO OF THE ALL TIME GREATS,
NADAL AND FEDERER.
HE HOSTED THIS THING.
STARTED IN SERBIA TWO WEEKENDS
AGO, THEN CROATIA, THERE WERE NO
GLOBAL PANDEMIC PROTOCOLS
FOLLOWED AT ALL.
NOVAK AND HIS TEAM AND THE
ORGANIZERS SAID, WELL, SERBIA
HAS HANDLED THE PANDEMIC AS WELL
AS NEW ZEALAND, THEY HANDLED IT
QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY AND
EVERYTHING IS SAFE, THE STANDS
WERE PACKED.
THERE WERE LINES PEOPLE, BALL
KIDS, HUGGING, THERE WAS
HANDSHAKING AT THE NET, SELFIES
TAKEN, A PLAYER PARTY AFTERWARDS
WHERE YOU SAW DIMITROV, THE
BULGARIAN, FIRST TO BE NOTED AS
HAVING THE VIRUS, THEY WERE
DANCING WITHOUT SHIRTS, DOING --
IT WAS HORRIFYING TO WATCH.
HORRIFYING TO WATCH.
THEY WERE -- IT WAS -- YOU DON’T
WANT TO SEE -- IT IS ALL OVER
THE INTERNET IF YOU REALLY WANT
TO SEE IT, BUT YOU DON’T WANT TO
SEE IT.
HERE IS A GUY IN DJOKOVIC WHO
WENT FROM GOING UNDEFEATED FOR
THE FIRST COUPLE OF MONTHS OF
THE YEAR AND HE’S DONE NOTHING
BUT MAKE UNFORCED ERRORS SINCE.
HE’S A BRIGHT GUY.
BUT HE DOES NOT -- HE HAS HIS
OWN BELIEFS AND HE’S FIRM IN
THEM.
HE DOES NOT BELIEVE IN THE
SANCTITY OF SCIENCE.
HE’S ONE OF SO MANY PEOPLE IN
THIS WORLD AND ESPECIALLY IN OUR
COUNTRY IT SEEMS WHO JUST THINK
THAT SCIENCE IS JUST ANOTHER
OPINION.
AND THAT SCARES THE HELL OUT OF
ME.
NOW YOU’RE GOING TO BE BRINGING
SPORTS TEAMS IN AND WHO KNOWS
HOW WELL THEY’RE FOLLOWING THE
PROTOCOLS.
THE U.S. OPEN IS SUPPOSED TO
START AT THE END OF AUGUST IN
NEW YORK.
AND THEY HAVE TRIED TO CREATE AN
ARTIFICIAL BIOSPHERE WITH ALL
MANNER OF PROTOCOLS AND
PRECAUTIONS AND PENALTIES IF YOU
DON’T FOLLOW THEM.
BUT IT IS A RISKY BUSINESS ANY
WAY YOU LOOK AT IT.
>> YEAH.
YOU SAID YOU WERE WATCHING THE
SHOW, WHICH I APPRECIATE BY THE
WAY, BUT I’M SURE YOU HEARD
THERE WAS A BREAKING NEWS AT THE
TOP OF THE HOUR THAT THEY
CANCELED THE NEW YORK CITY
MARATHON.
>> YEP.
>> LOOK, THERE ARE A LOT OF
RESPONSIBILITIES, LEAGUES ARE
BALANCING, PLAYERS, ESPECIALLY
PLAYERS IN A LEADERSHIP POSITION
ARE BALANCING SAFETY, OBVIOUSLY
FINANCIAL, FANS, A LOT OF FANS
WANT THEM TO COME BACK.
BUT YOU KNOW ABOUT IT FROM ALL
SIDES, YOU AND I MET INITIALLY
THROUGH THE MANY OLYMPICS WE
HAVE COVERED TOGETHER.
DO YOU TRUST PEOPLE WHO ARE IN
THESE LEADERSHIP POSITIONS,
GENERALLY?
I KNOW YOU CAN’T SAY EVERYBODY,
BUT DO YOU TRUST THEM TO DO THE
RIGHT THING?
DO YOU THINK THE CONVERSATIONS
THAT YOU KNOW THEY’RE HAVING ARE
THE RIGHT KINDS OF
CONVERSATIONS, MARY?
>> CHRIS, LOOK, THEY’RE WELL
INTENTIONED AND, OF COURSE,
PEOPLE WANT IT BACK.
A LOT OF THE SPORTS WE WILL SEE
COMING BACK ARE MADE FOR TV
EVENTS, NO FANS IN THE STANDS,
NO CONCESSIONS, THERE WILL BE
VERY -- THE U.S. OPEN, FOR
INSTANCE, IT IS A MADE FOR TV
EVENT NOW.
NO WRITTEN MEDIA THAT IS ALLOWED
IN, MY GUESS IS THERE WILL BE
ELITE MEDIA ALLOWED TO COME IN
AND FOLLOW THE U.S. OPEN IF IT
HAPPENS, BUT, LOOK, I GET IT.
I’VE BEEN HOME FOR THREE MONTHS
EATING CHEETO ON MY COUCH.
I WOULD LOVE TO GO BACK AND
START CALLING MATCHES AGAIN,
CALLING SPORTS AGAIN, REPORTING,
BEING OUT THERE IN THE WORLD.
BUT NOBODY CAN -- NOBODY CAN
CONVINCE ANY ATHLETE IT IS SAFE
TO DO THAT.
I WOULDN’T BLAME ONE ATHLETE IN
ONE SPORT, SAYS, YOU KNOW WHAT,
I’LL SIT IT OUT UNTIL SOME KIND
OF VACCINE WILL PROMISE TO MAKE
ME AND MY FAMILY AND MY FRIENDS
SAFE.
>> YEAH, YOU KNOW, I HAD A
LITTLE BIT OF A MOMENT OF
INTENSE TERROR THINKING OF YOU
EATING CHEETOS WITH ALL THE
WHITE PILLOWS BEHIND YOU.
BUT I DIGRESS A LITTLE BIT.
SO I’M SURE YOU ARE IN TOUCH
WITH A LOT OF FOLKS WHO ARE NOW
ACTIVELY IN SPORTS AND I, YOU
KNOW, THERE IS A MENTAL
TOUGHNESS THAT COMES TO GETTING
TO THE TOP OF THE GAME, WHETHER
IT IS WINNING WIMBLEDON OR, YOU
KNOW, GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES
OR JUST REACHING THE PRO SPORTS
LEVEL.
HOW ARE ARE THE FOLKS THAT
YOU’RE TALKING TO NAVIGATING
THAT?
ARE WE GOING TO SEE A VERY
DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE FROM A LOT
OF PLAYERS AND THE PARTICIPANTS
WHEN THIS IS ALL OVER, WHENEVER
IT IS ALL OVER?
>> THAT’S A GREAT QUESTION,
CHRIS.
YOU HAVE TO KNOW IN MY SPORT OF
TENNIS, FOR INSTANCE, YOU KNOW,
COCO GAUFF HAD ALL THIS TIME
OFF.
NAOMI OSAKA, TWO YOUNG PLAYERS
WHO HAVE FOUND THEIR VOICE IN
THIS PANDEMIC, SPEAKING OUT
AGAINST ALL THE PROBLEMS WITH
RACE RELATIONS IN THIS COUNTRY.
I THINK THE TIME OFF HAS GIVEN
THEM GREAT PERSPECTIVE.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT SOMEONE LIKE
SERENA WILLIAMS WHO TURNS 39 IN
SEPTEMBER, ROGER FEDERER TURNS
39 IN AUGUST.
FEDERER WANTED TO DO TWO THINGS
IN THE YEAR 2020, WIN WIMBLEDON
AND WANTED TO WIN OLYMPIC GOLD
IN SINGLES.
NOW IF TOKYO HAPPENS NEXT
SUMMER, AND HOPEFULLY WE’LL BOTH
BE THERE, HE’S GOING TO -- THIS
GUY IS GOING TO BE CROWDING 40.
HE’S LOST BASICALLY A YEAR, A
SEASON OF HIS CAREER IN --
TOWARD THE END OF IT.
HE’S MUCH CLOSER TO GOOD-BYE
THAN HELLO.
SO ALL KINDS OF ATHLETES I THINK
ARE FEELING ALL MANNER OF
THINGS.
I THINK FOR THE YOUNGER PLAYERS,
THE PLAYERS WORKING ON THEIR
GAMES AND WHATEVER SPORT THEY’RE
WITH, THEY CAN BE WORKING ON
TECHNIQUE ON THEIR MENTAL