Someone might need to give Governer Ron DeSantis a Snickers since calling WWE an ‘essential service’ is basically playing favorites since bringing the show to Florida, his state no less, isn’t just playing favorites, it’s basically spitting on the social distance protocol that’s been put into place. Let’s be fair, people need to work and while some of the WWE stars make a good deal of money, others don’t really make much, and the staffers that are needed to run the show likely don’t make as much as some of the more popular superstars. Yet they’re being expected to come to work when it’s been deemed unsafe and when gathering in numbers is considered to be dangerous and could spread the coronavirus even further. But as Aaron Rupar of Vox has written, the governor thinks that people are ‘starved for content’. If you’re not laughing or sitting with your jaw dropped and your eyes wide at that comment then you might have the same short attention span as the dear governor appears to have since being ‘starved for content’ would imply that there’s absolutely nothing on TV, cable, streaming, or the internet to watch. So in a sense it would appear that DeSantis, in his limited wisdom (yes I said and no I won’t take it back) is stating that people in his state, or possibly around the country, have already perused every bit of content they could find and have come up dry just because they need their WWE.
Of course it’s an exaggeration, the main point is that since a staffer at WWE did come in with the COVID-19 virus it’s been widely thought that the WWE should possibly think about taking the same route as many shows. That’s not likely to happen to be certain but at the same time one can only guess just how much risk is going into the show even with the fact that they’re performing in the performance center in Florida, where DeSantis would likely be just fine keeping them. More exposure for the brand means more marketing in his state, which means more money, more green, more cha-ching. The only problem is that the governor’s explanations don’t make a whole lot of sense, and what explanations he’s not giving aren’t helping by remaining hidden. But the whole idea of saying that people are ‘starved for content’ is kind of laughable since he just had to mention the NFL and how former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady just came to Tampa Bay. Nothing like a friendly shout out, right? Of course his idea that the Bucs might actually have a shot at the Super Bowl this year might be just as ridiculous since if the lock down continues there won’t BE an NFL season coming up.
Keep in mind when you’re questioning DeSantis’ intelligence that this is a man who, according to Stephen A. Crockett Jr. of The Root, also said this in regards to the coronavirus:
“This particular pandemic is one where, I don’t think nationwide there’s been a single fatality under 25. For whatever reason, it just doesn’t seem to threaten, you know, kids,”
He’s not entirely off the mark thankfully, but he’s also not right since the records online, y’know, on the computer, where a person could easily check them, if they wanted to and stuff, because that’s what intelligent people do, would show that there have been a few fatalities attributed to the coronavirus in those that are under 25. The numbers aren’t staggering as they’ve been for those that are firmly in the danger zone, but as a note to Mr. DeSantis it might be wise to look up your facts before opening your mouth to reporters. And in terms of an entertainment show that is scripted and rehearsed but is still physically taxing to its stars, it might be best not to hype them up any longer once it’s been determined that one of their staffers has been infected and could possibly infect the lot of them if the show was allowed to continue. He knows that there’s grappling and close contact in wrestling, right? The six-foot rule really doesn’t work with the WWE since trying to grapple someone from 6 feet away doesn’t work all that well. But to think that DeSantis is willing to put people in his state at risk by ‘trying to get back to normal’ isn’t just irresponsible, it’s quite dangerous really and shows that he’s not thinking straight. People aren’t so starved for content that they’ll willingly watch others risk their own lives in the name of entertainment, at least one would hope not. Maybe it’s time for DeSantis to sit back with a few reruns and just chill for a while until his conscience catches up with his current thought processes. They might have to wade through the dollar signs clouding his vision, but hopefully it will happen. Mike Schneider of The Press Democrat has more to say on this.
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