After the recent Chapecoense plane crash in Colombia, many of us have been thinking the same thing: What happens when a team is completely wiped out by a disaster? I am sure there have been similar instances before (I also remember a movie based on a real life incident which had the same premise). I also searched and found that American sports leagues are not naive to the possibility of such a tragedy and they’ve formed emergency plans, commonly called “disaster drafts“.
In today’s Needull, this article by The Economist talks about the same question we have always whispered in our head, yet common sense and decency has prevented it from becoming audibly loud. It also discusses if these ‘disaster drafts’ can sometimes offer a little too many sympathy points to the affected team. The recent denial by the Chapecoense team to an offer of exemption from relegation proves that there is a limit to the generosity showered after a tragedy.
For all that Chapecoense may have lost, its sense of honour remains.
Needull in a haystack 