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2020 NBA FINALS “BUBBLE”

ANTH452 Max Fray

COVID-19 ANTH452 Folklore project. The 2020 NBA finals were played inside the “bubble” a 191 million dollar investment by the NBA due to the season being cut early from the first major outbreak of COVID. 

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2020 as a year was a huge turning point in our approach to culture and adaptation to the ever-evolving COVID-19 pandemic. The NBA finals for 2020 were a very exceptional look into our desire to continue old norms and traditions that the history of basketball has followed. On March 11th, the season was cut short due to COVID, and would not resume until July, when the bubble plan was completed and set into action by the NBA. The “Bubble” was a complete facility cutting off contact from all NBA players, coaches, and faculty, from the outside world due to COVID. The Bubble was located in Disneyland, with all teams spread out across the entire bubble compound. 

 

Practices were held as normal, as were games, however some of the most notable differences were that there was no audience. Rather there was a live video feed of season ticket holders. Another very different part of the whole bubble was the player's time spent off the court. After practice many different teams did different activities. Some of these included ping pong tournaments, fishing, and vlogging. The investment by the NBA ultimately payed off as there was no recorded cases of COVID inside of the bubble at any point during the finals. 

The culmination of the NBA bubble was at such a critical time in our history in the 21st century. COVID was new, adaptation was evolving, as were social justice issues. Throughout the Bubble Finals, Black Lives Matter was a very key piece in the forefront of the game, with teams (most notably) the Milwaukee Bucks boycotting their playoff games due to the movement. A lot was in the mix for these playoff series, and it will be recorded as a historical season, not only for being the longest (fall to summer) but for the obstacles overcome by players, as well as viewers. 

 

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Some of the activities that players did while in the bubble can be seen above. Mo Bamba playing UNO with teammates, as well as Ben Simmons with Catch of the Day.

Another Very important and unique part of the bubble was the lack of an actual audience. This transforms the physical aspect that was traditionally part of the folklore with viewing sports.

Here are some pictures featuring Obama and Shaq as members of the "virtual" audience.

As Well as Courtside
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The finals eventually led to the Miami Heat and Los Angleles Lakers. With the Lakers winning and taking home their 17th title.

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Bibliography

mmmmmBauman, Richard. 2004. A World of Others’ Words: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Intertextuality. Wiley-Blackwell

mmmmmBjarkman, Peter C. The Biographical History of Basketball : More Than 500 Portraits of the Most Significant on-and Off-Court Personalities of the Game's Past and Present. Lincolnwood, Ill.: Masters Press, 2000.

mmmmmESPN, 2020. “Everything that happened in the NBA bubble.” NBA. Accessed February 15, 2022. https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30055011/everything-happened-nba-bubble

mmmmmSims, Martha, and Stephens, Martine. 2011. Living Folklore, 2nd Edition : An Introduction to the mmmmmStudy of People and Their Traditions. Logan: Utah State University Press. Accessed mmmmmJanuary 20, 2022. ProQuest Ebook Central.

mmmmm“NBA Finals Viewership Declines 51% Year-over-Year, Bloomberg Reports.” The Fly, 2020, 0.

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