I probably spend too much of my time focused on Sport, although it is a great distraction from the problems of the world.  It was odd at first going a year without seeing horse racing, baseball, or NHL hockey games in person. After a while the void was not as bad as I would have expected.  Maybe because there were more serious issues to think about, or maybe I got to the point where I was just blocking so many things out I forgot about sport.

During the baseball playoffs I went to Elysian Park in Los Angeles and went to a couple ridges which overlook Dodger Stadium and Downtown.  It definitely was not like sitting on the rooftops across from Wrigley but I could hear the public address announcer say players names when they came up to bat so it was a taste of normal.  The vistas were nice, I was slightly embarrassed I had never ventured up there before.

My first two games back were in March at Cactus League Spring Training in Arizona.  I first photographed Cactus League games in 1984 so I guess it was the perfect place to start watching sports in person again.  The light crowds reminded me of the early days out there, but the price of the tickets were insane.  In April 2021 when the NHL reopened, I saw three games at Staples Center.  The Covid protocols were okay.  It was annoying to show my vaccination paperwork twice before getting to the security check point.  But once I was past that the social distancing and protocols were fine.  The early rules for the Angels were also annoying but they quickly adapted and now going to a game seems like it was before.  Hopefully they can get through the season before another lockdown. I haven’t been out to the racetrack since they reopened, so much of that experience is interacting with the pari-mutuels while making a bet, walking up to get a sandwich in the club house, and moving the crowd in the paddock. All things that are still not permitted with the Covid Protocols.

One thing the pandemic has helped me understand is the reason why Major League Baseball has implemented putting up more protective netting.  In some stadiums the netting runs the length of the field to foul poles which is brutal for sight lines.  With the reopening of baseball fans were socially distanced, even in Spring Training teams Zip tied seats to prevent people from sitting together.  With fans being spread out the individual fans seem to stand out more in the background of my photographs.  The thing which stood out to me was the percentage of fans with their heads down looking at their phones while play was going on.  It would be one thing if this happened during the at bat of some unknown player hitting under the “Medoza line” but it was happening when superstars like Trout and Ohtani were at the plate too.  The fans were oblivious to the action on the field, I assume Major League Baseball also recognized this fact, realized the liability, and mandated the netting.  They probably also knew most fans wouldn’t even notice.  It is sad, the netting ruins sight lines and when you go to an event you should be able to disconnect from your mobile device long enough to enjoy the event you paid to go see.