The Los Angeles Lakers and L.A. Dodgers both took home a championship in the month of October.
However, due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, their wins took place in bubbles far away from L.A., the city that is home to some of the United States’ most strict protocols. Mayor Eric Garcetti must now take a look at the rules and figure out a way for the two teams to safely celebrate.
Championship parades are the main ritual for a city when a team of theirs wins it all in any of the major sports leagues. But the pandemic has made large public gatherings simply impossible without high risk of community spread, prompting the Lakers and Dodgers to postpone any public celebration.
Despite this, Garcetti promised fans that a celebration would take place in some form, although there are no distinct plans as to what that will look like, according to Bill Shaikin of The L.A. Times:
“I definitely intend to have the opportunity for Angelenos to celebrate the Lakers and, on their own day, the Dodgers,” Mayor Eric Garcetti told The Times late Tuesday night.
How those celebrations might take place is uncertain, with social distancing still mandated as the coronavirus continues its significant spread throughout Southern California. One idea Garcetti threw out: a hilltop reign at Griffith Park. “Stick them up at the observatory,” he said, “and watch them preside over the town as champions.”
A number of ideas have been thrown out, from Garcetti’s Griffith Observatory plan to a virtual celebration with both the Lakers and Dodgers at Staples Center. However, if a parade is done within the next few months, it’s unlikely to be anything close to the feeling of a real parade.
The option remains to wait it out until it’s safe to do a completely normal parade. However, not only could this plan take months, some players may be playing for different teams by then.
The Lakers, Dodgers and Garcetti all seem committed to finding a way to celebrate as a city, meaning something will likely get done. When that happens, fans will be clamoring to be a part of it in any way.
Jeanie Buss reassures fans that a parade will take place
While sentiments from players like LeBron James about a parade are nice, they don’t in any way guarantee that a celebration will happen. However, Lakers governor Jeanie Buss appears confident that something can happen.
She spoke about what a parade might look like, advocating for city-wide safety, and ensuring that a plan will be figured out.
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