As sports begin to look like they might kind of possibly be close to maybe returning, "asterisk" has been a popular word.
"Should this season have an asterisk next to it?"
"Will champions have an asterisk?"
"What would need to happen for you to think there should be an asterisk?"
All of these questions present the asterisk as a stain. You dummies: That's not what an asterisk is.
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I'll get to why the NBA and NHL seasons should absolutely have an asterisk in a second, but first, a reminder that an asterisk wouldn't mean the winner didn't win. It would mean they won in a season that was different, as marked by the asterisk. The symbol is a "reference to an annotation."
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Here's the annotation: The season and postseason had a different structure (we know that for sure with the NHL, not yet with the NBA) and the entire team started the postseason healthier than they would have normally been.
That's different! That's weird! That is a different playing field than we see every year.
And that's not necessarily a good thing or a bad thing. You can look at that asterisk after the fact and tack on whatever you want. Hell, if the Bruins or Lightning win the Stanley Cup and there aren't any injuries, that asterisk could also mean they won in a year that was harder because their opponents were at full strength. How many teams can say they did that? Asterisk!
Similarly, if some crumb bum team that wasn't in the top 16 at the time of the stoppage goes and wins the Cup, that asterisk can mean the circumstances helped them get there. But they'll have still won the Stanley Cup and they'll be considered a champion, asterisk and all.
Now, if you're using "asterisk" to mean "they didn't really win," you're silly. They'll have won a different tournament, but they'll have won. It's the different tournament and circumstances that requires the asterisk, not who wins.
There are variables every year. Injuries, suspensions, things that we didn't see coming. Those don't need an asterisk because that can happen any year to any team. This season is different because the format is different. They had to change the season on the fly. Asterisk.
So whether it's the top team or a team that didn't belong there, this whole thing is going to get an asterisk. It's different. Years from now, this will all need explaining.
That's why the asterisk is there.
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