For the first month of the NBA bubble, the players were in Orlando all by themselves. Essentially, they had to leave their family members behind and continue playing while communicating with their loved ones through Skype or Zoom. Now, however, the NBA has allowed close friends and family into the bubble and over the course of the past few days, they have been in quarantine while also getting tests. Finally, this quarantine period is coming to a close and now, families and executives will be able to watch games from the stands.
Today, the NBA decided to lay down the law on these new spectators, offering guidelines that will carry through the playoffs. The concept is quite simple. Essentially, you can't swear and shout profanities, while you also can't roast the referees and step onto the court to confront them.
https://twitter.com/_/status/1300490669862117382
https://twitter.com/_/status/1300491938349617153
These guidelines are pretty straightforward and common sense, however, since the games have fewer spectators, you can hear a lot of the courtside audio much clearer, which can lead to mishaps. With this in mind, it's easy to see why the NBA would be strict about profanity.
With the playoffs entering the second-round, it will be fun to see how the family members slowly become integrated into the viewing experience.
