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Pandemic precautions ignored by players and fans during Lightning’s Stanley Cup parade and rally

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The Tampa Bay Lightning may have endangered the lives of Floridians on Wednesday.

After winning the franchise’s second Stanley Cup in the Edmonton bubble, the Lightning held a championship boat parade and rally back home during a coronavirus pandemic that has killed over 200,000 people in the United States (a fifth of all deaths worldwide). While the team took precautions and encouraged social distancing ahead of time, those practices did not sustain. Lightning players and fans got sloppy as Bolts faithful tried to get close to the most famous trophy in sports.

The players generated several cringe-worthy moments that were heavily criticized on social media.

Video

Instead of a typical parade, the Lightning took their celebration to the water. “Fans are encouraged to safely gather along the Riverwalk, exercising proper social distancing guidelines, including the wearing of face coverings,” the team wrote in its plans. The parade started at 5 PM.

“Who does a boat parade?” an excited Steven Stamkos said.

Thousands of fans gathered along the railings several rows deep, where some wore masks and others did not.

Players rode by in boats and the scene generally looked like this.

At one point, the players allowed other people to put their mouths on the Stanley Cup and drink out of it one after another. 😬

At 7:30 PM, the team held a rally outside at the Buccaneer’s Raymond James Stadium. “Socially distant pod seating will apply, with groups available for 1-6 people,” the team wrote in its release. “All Social Distancing guidelines for Raymond James Stadium will be in effect.”

The setup limited the number of fans inside the stadium and essentially kept families and friends in their own quarantine bubbles.

The Lightning earned criticism on social media once again after Harvard grad Alex Killorn thanked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for “opening the bars.” Florida has seen a spike in coronavirus cases days after the embattled governor allowed restaurants and small businesses to fully reopen (over 10,000 since Sunday). Florida has been one of the hardest-hit states in the US due to COVID-19.

Outside of Raymond James Stadium, fans congregated closely together to meet players, get autographs, and see the Stanley Cup.

Again: 😬.

Screenshot courtesy of @10TampaBay

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