Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Andrew Sanford | Celebrity | September 21, 2023
I’m a big fan of the Texas Rangers baseball team (though I wish they would change the name). Despite being a traditionally terrible team, they’ve had a great season. After not being able to see them play live in five years for various reasons (and one big one), I purchased tickets to see them twice in late August. I bought the tickets in May. The day before the first game, I tested positive for COVID. I was crushed.
Immediately, I had to start counting my blessings. I couldn’t go to the games, but I felt fine. I masked up at home, and despite having to take care of my kids, they never got sick (or if they did, it was mild). My schedule was ruined, but when the pandemic began, getting COVID felt more like a death sentence. It still can be for people, but public perception and handling of it has changed dramatically.
If you’ve been listening to the late-night podcast Strike Force Five, you’d know that three of the hosts, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, and Stephen Colbert, were set to do a live show in Vegas. They were calling it Strike Force Three and were doing it to continue raising money for their out-of-work staffers. The show was set to go up this Saturday, but Jimmy Kimmel caught COVID, and the show was canceled.
When COVID first reared its ugly head, getting news like this felt weird and new. I still remember trying to purchase hockey tickets with my wife, thinking, “With all these people getting sick, we might be able to get great seats!” The next day, the NHL postponed its season. Now, COVID cancellations feel too blase. There’s an air of, “Isn’t this crazy,” to them.
I’m happy that Kimmel is taking precautions. Steve Martin and Martin Short had to do the same thing. People are still taking it seriously. It has just become a normal part of life now. It shouldn’t be, but it is, and I’m still adjusting. I’m one of the lucky people who can adjust, but many can’t.
