Who Won the Weekend? “We Are All in This Together”

The world kept turning, Friday, Saturday, even Sunday, when we in NYC got word that schools would close, and on Tuesday, bars and concert halls and such would have to shutter their doors.

Sure, tilting some while turning, making many of us feel less stable…But like any good fighter, we look to adapt as best we can, re-find our footing.

Me, for Who Won the Weekend, I'm going outside the normal sphere…I'm choosing doctors, the people who go to their office, and see the patients, the ones with the sniffles, the ones that don't block their sneezes well.

These docs are soldiers, they are brave beings, and I salute them, heartily.

I asked the NYF Squad and extended fam, hey, who won the weekend…and who lost, while we're at it.

“WWE won the weekend as they are the only show in town who isn't going to cancel any of their programming,” said Abe Gonzalez, NYF West Coast Bureau Chief. “The WWE has their own facility in Florida that can stage a show in a more intimate setting. They did that this past Friday while having their EVP “Triple H” doing broadcast duties and even camera-man work throughout the night in front of an empty arena. We all need some entertainment during times like this and the WWE is going to keep the show going.

“The people selling toilet paper and hand sanitizer for ridiculous prices should be the permanent losers of every weekend. This is not the time or place for greed but I guess to some people, that doesn't matter. I hope that the IRS pops up on those people after all of this is craziness is done with.”

“For me,” said David Phillips, NYF columnist, “Millennials won the weekend and the week. Let me explain. To give you some idea what I do when I'm not spilling words all over a page, I manage teachers whose sole goal is to help young people do well on standardized tests for both new college students and prospective grad-level students. Not all, but many of my teachers are students themselves. Most of them seniors. This week, they have had to adjust to learning how to teach online as all of our classes have moved away from in-person delivery. They have done this while worrying about their friends, family and themselves. Some have done this while sorting out their living situation as their college or university has begun ousting them from student quarters. Many of them are due to graduate this spring. There will be no ceremony for them. No walk to the podium. No funny looking hat to throw in the air. Despite their own challenges and disappointments, I have found this group to be routinely industrious, resilient, and I dare say, brave. It is my honor to be their manager. I know people in their generation take a lot of shit, but I'm here to say, The Kids Are Alright.”

“Who won the weekend? Scott Coker for compensating everyone in spite of the cancellation of Bellator 241,” said Josh Friedman, of SiriusXM.

“Brandun Lee won the weekend, in the boxing world, because he basically had the sports airwaves to himself and delivered, albeit against an overmatched Camilo Prieto,” said Ryan Songalia, of RING. “At a time when the only US sports not canceled or in off-season was bowling, a closed-doors ShoBox card in the middle of Minnesota sounds like a sports oasis in a social distancing desert.”

“Winner: Generosity. While we're all missing our favorite games, thousands of people are out of work,” said PR pro Gayle Falkenthal. “Multiple teams and athletes have stepped up to help by paying employee salaries at the venues where they play. Individual athletes including Zion Williamson, Kevin Love, Giannis Antetokounmp, Blake Griffin, and Steph Curry are kicking in personal funds as well. We know the boxing community is equally generous. Let's see some of our boxing family with the means to do so step up as well. Hat tip: Brandun Lee, who made the most of his Showtime Boxing appearance as the only game in U.S. boxing this week, stopping Camilo Prieto in the third round with a left hook led combination, followed by an uppercut to seal the deal. Time for this flashy young welterweight to face stiffer competition to prep himself for the bigger names in this competitive division.

Side note: Boxing continues in Mexico. Nothing shuts down in Tijuana!

And – did y'all see Bob Arum's quote from his SiriusXM interview? God bless Grandpa Bob.”

“Trying to stay as centered on boxing as possible, Brandun Lee won the weekend,”said Jeremy Herriges of FanSided. “With virtually every boxing show canceled, Lee took center stage and delivered with a TKO victory. At 20 years old, Lee is a young super lightweight who has physical gifts such as size and power, which has the potential to cause a stir within the division.

“The big loser is “normalcy” throughout the world at large. These are unprecedented times, and everyone is impacted, though some more than others. No one is sure what to expect as we are all adjusting on the fly. Stay safe, care for those you love, and be considerate of others. We are all in this together.”