Fans looking for escapism provided by professional and collegiate sports will sadly have to survive off highlights and reruns in interim as coronavirus has shut down the industry for the foreseeable future.
Before we can look forward to the resumption of our favorite sports, documentary filmmaker Ken Burns wants us to look back at his magnum opus, Baseball, the Emmy-winning nine-part 1994 miniseries. Burn’s love letter to America’s Pastime is now available to watch for free on PBS.org and all PBS streaming platforms while the baseball world is on hiatus from spring training and indefinitely delayed the start of the regular season.
“This is a difficult time for all of us,” Burns said in a video statement. “We’re worried about the health of our kids, our families, our friends and neighbors, and the vitality and safety of our communities. It’s also a time we realize, more than ever, that we’re all in this together. As many of us hunker down in the days ahead, it’s important that we find things that bring us together, and show us our common humanity. That’s why, in the absence of many of our favorite sports, I’ve asked PBS — the Public Broadcasting Service — to stream my film about America’s pastime, Baseball, for free.”
In response to the rapidly spreading coronavirus, professional sports leagues around the world have hit the pause button on their seasons. Major League Baseball, in the midst of spring training and preparing for its originally scheduled Opening Day on March 26th, postponed the season at least two weeks.
