Groz: It’s important for sports to provide an escape in times like these

I was glad when LeBron James walked back his comment about refusing to play if there wasn’t a live audience. LeBron is a smart guy and that comment was amazingly tone-deaf. Of course athletes can play without a live crowd, and during this time it is actually really important that we do.

WA crowd ban: Sounders postpone, Dragons to play in empty stadium

With several pre-existing conditions, I live with the knowledge that the coronavirus is much more lethal to me than to most. I’ve been basically self-quarantining myself for two weeks. Watching sporting events has taken on a new meaning for me. It’s truly an escape from bad news. It’s my link to the world that I’ve briefly left behind. And it will be that for a lot more of us with Washington’s ban of crowds of 250 people or more in King, Piece and Snohomish counties.

Sports has always played an important role in our lives. My friend Brian Robinson of Save Our Sonics put it well Tuesday night.

I am a big believer in the power of public gatherings & shared experience to build community & bring people together. As "social distancing" continues we will have to dig deeper to find empathy and love for each other in other ways. Let's all do our part.

— Brian Robinson (@206empire) March 11, 2020

Now it’s time for sports to keep us together from afar. It’s still a common theme, a shared experience, and now it’s here to remind us of what we are and what we want to be. Let the desire to go to Mariners games push us to wash our hands so much it would make Bob Stelton proud. Let the desire to get back to the arena help us do the right things and knock this virus down.

Like I said, sports has always played an important role in providing an escape from the news of the day. In the days and weeks to come that will be very important. So please play while we watch on TV or listen on the radio. It’s never been as important as its going to be.

To everyone, I look forward to seeing you at the ballpark later this year. We will have a lot of catching up to do.

Follow 710 ESPN Seattle’s Dave “The Groz” Grosby on Twitter.

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