How Soon will the Oklahoma City Thunder Feel Safe Going Back to Work

It's hard to nail down just how safe players are feeling about playing games right now.

Trying to gauge how professional athletes feel about going back to work is like trying to read Tim Duncan's moods based on his facial expressions. In a recent conference call, Chris Paul says, "We just want to play." ..."We're trying to figure out what that looks like."..."I don't know what's going to happen; I think right now, I'm just more focused on playing."

When asked if, about the possibility of the NBA housing in one location, Paul says, "There are so many layers that would have to come into play for that to even happen."..."That's great that people are brainstorming, and that's nice that everybody wants us to get back to play, but I think the safety of the players, the families, the fans, everyone, all that comes before any of it."

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— Stanford Steve (@StanfordSteve82) April 28, 2020

The message here, no athlete wants to be the guineapig and risk being a part of another COVID-19 outbreak. Top-flight clubs in the English Premier League (soccer)are set to meet on Friday to discuss plans for a league restart.

While fans may be cheering, players in the EPL are not embracing the idea of playing games at the moment. Per ESPN, an unnamed source at one club says players aren't on board with putting themselves at risk.

"A lot of players are very uncomfortable with coming back."..."The only way the league takes this seriously is when someone at a club dies."... "We will look back on this time with sadness in the future."

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— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 29, 2020

Some of the main concern is coming from players who either have young families or pregnant wives. Oklahoma's shelter in place order will expire on Friday (May first);. However, the Thunder hasn't said what their plans are; it's conceivable they could allow players to start showing up on May eighth when the NBA is hoping to open team facilities.

We are in the middle of a game of "who goes first," and with lives at stake, none of the major sports leagues in our country wants to have a team member die because they rushed back too soon.