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Sam Amick foresaw the NBA season suspension and criticized the Wizards’ poor handling

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Winnipeg Jets v Washington Capitals
Ted Leonsis, CEO of Monumental Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Washington Wizards and Capitals, ignored the recommendation of the city’s top public health agency to postpone or cancel non-essential mass gatherings.
Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

OK, everyone one knows the big news by now: The NBA season is suspended.

In a rather prophetic article that appeared just hours before the news, Sam Amick foresaw that a single infected player, coach, or team employee would bring the league to a halt:

“All it takes is just one player, one coach, one staff member to get infected and their entire $8 billion per year in revenue operation could be in jeopardy for the foreseeable future.

It’s not hard to see how brutal the butterfly effect would be from there. And with owners slated to have a league-wide conference call on Wednesday afternoon, with calls also lined up for team presidents and general managers on Thursday, it’s not an exaggeration to say that this entire season is in jeopardy.

Amick contrasted how certain franchises reacted aggressively, such as the Golden State Warriors, which announced games will be held without fans, while others like the Wizards, were continuing business as usual:

“The Washington Wizards clearly don’t see it that way — at least for now — as their ownership group announced on Wednesday that they would not follow the DC Department of Health’s recommendation that non-essential mass gatherings be postponed or canceled.’’

This questionable decision by Monumental Sports and Entertainment, which ignored a simple recommendation from the D.C. government’s top health authority, could leave a sour taste for many D.C. residents as we now enter uncharted territory in sports and entertainment history.