Sports and Pop-Culture in a world without COVID-19?

[Nivek]

The biggest butterfly in the world of pro wrestling is that Bray Wyatt would still be alive.

I'm also not sure we get Roman Reigns' heel turn and the Bloodline - at least in its current form.

I think Keith Lee also ends up staying with WWE since he doesn't struggle with the effects of Long COVID and underwhelm after he gets back to wrestling.

Roman Reigns might be even more on limbo and Drew Mcinthre would have gotten bigger in raymond james ITTL

 

[Simeon]

How would an ABS-CBN shutdown look like in ATL May 2020 without the pandemic? Will the protests draw more attendees knowing there is no pandemic but the anger won't be the same because there is no pandemic?

more like the administration will intensify the smear campaign to beat any potential public anger to the punch, especially since the channel cannot really do anything about their franchise being revoked for some congressional sessions anyway

 

[ramones1986]

more like the administration will intensify the smear campaign to beat any potential public anger to the punch, especially since the channel cannot really do anything about their franchise being revoked for some congressional sessions anyway.

Well, think of accusation(s) of being a near monopoly in the media industry.

 

[Nivek]

Well, think of accusation(s) of being a near monopoly in the media industry.

Well, think of accusation(s) of being a near monopoly in the media industry.

Nah Philippines ABC is doomed anyway

 

[Hrvatskiwi]

A relatively niche thing but the UFC received a massive boon from COVID-19 by being one of the only sports promotions that continued almost unabated by the pandemic. Basically Dana White didnt care much about COVID and having a small but fully-functioning internally run arena at the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas helped.

 

[Gillan1220]

Another thing I want to share. I know several friends and acquaintances that were supposed to watch a big BTS concert in South Korea that summer. All of it got cancelled. Without the pandemic, it would have pushed through.

I'd see the Eras Tour still happening on schedule though.

 

[Nivek]

A relatively niche thing but the UFC received a massive boon from COVID-19 by being one of the only sports promotions that continued almost unabated by the pandemic. Basically Dana White didnt care much about COVID and having a small but fully-functioning internally run arena at the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas helped.

Not that much, i think it also did damage the image of UFC as irresponsible, especially doing it on a native lands casino to skirt covid regulations

 

[Hrvatskiwi]

Not that much, i think it also did damage the image of UFC as irresponsible, especially doing it on a native lands casino to skirt covid regulations

Hmmm, hard to say considering that they keep getting record profits year-on-year.
I think it did definitely galvanise a swing towards more openly right-wing politics given Dana White's close relationship with Trump, as well as there being significant overlap between the "COVID-19 isn't a big deal" and MAGA camps. Which is annoying for me, given that I'm a massive MMA fan and definitely don't share the political views of much of it's fanbase. It was irresponsible, but there's a company that has consistently put its profitability before the wellbeing of its fighters, their fair compensation, and often even the meritocracy of the weight classes themselves (Marlon Vera getting a bantamweight title shot off of a single win streak when Cory Sandhagen and Merab Dvalishvili are right there being case in point).

 

[Nivek]

Hmmm, hard to say considering that they keep getting record profits year-on-year.
I think it did definitely galvanise a swing towards more openly right-wing politics given Dana White's close relationship with Trump, as well as there being significant overlap between the "COVID-19 isn't a big deal" and MAGA camps. Which is annoying for me, given that I'm a massive MMA fan and definitely don't share the political views of much of it's fanbase. It was irresponsible, but there's a company that has consistently put its profitability before the wellbeing of its fighters, their fair compensation, and often even the meritocracy of the weight classes themselves (Marlon Vera getting a bantamweight title shot off of a single win streak when Cory Sandhagen and Merab Dvalishvili are right there being case in point).

That's another thing but yeah UFC got lucky their farbum keep the show going on

 

[HawkAussie]

Personally in terms of Pokemon tournaments, I reckon we would have a slight modification in Works Championships hosts

2020: London
2021: Yokohama
2022: Hawaii
2023: Barcelona
2024: Another Japan location?