For better or worse, many fans prefer social and political issues be left out of their sports consumption. For many, sports serves as a distraction from those very topics. But what if there are no sports? That's the awkward position in which many journalists and broadcasters find themselves due to the coronavirus crisis. To top it off, social unrest is soaring amid massive unemployment and the ongoing protests over the death of George Floyd at the hands of a former Minneapolis police officer. Jeremy White of the Howard & Jeremy Show on WGR in Buffalo said now is not the time for sports reporters to feign neutrality, during an emotional plea on Friday's show. "This pandemic has opened my eyes -- just a little bit -- to why we do sometimes stick to sports," White said. "And by that I mean, it's been a really rough time for 10-plus weeks, going on 11 weeks. There are no games. The games do provide a distraction. I do totally understand someone that says like, 'I come to you guys to get away form what's going on.' But then of course there are going to be times when that is not possible. And today what's going on in Minneapolis, this is not possible to do, to stay away from all this stuff. "There's just so much that's built into this. Like, 'this is a sports station.' That's right. We're also humans on this station. I care about people. I care about a lot of people. What else matters today in the world, right now? The idea that like, 'Oh it's just a difference of opinion.' It's not anymore. It's about humanity. .. It's not about opinions anymore." In a separate appearance, WCCO sports host Henry Lake fought through tears while opening up about what he described as a painful time for the Twin Cities and black Americans. "I love this state, I love this city. I'm proud to be a Minnesotan, but at the same time, I'm a black man in America. So, when you see the city affected like this, and you see businesses that are affected like this -- and at the same time I have to wake up every day, and I have to be concerned about my safety, and I have to be concerned about if I'm going to lose my life. And I have to navigate different things in our society -- it's stressful. So, when I'm talking to you guys [on air], it's hard." Under normal circumstances, White said on WGR, athletes themselves would speak on these issues -- but that's not possible because of the pandemic. "One of the reasons that I miss sports right now, is that sports would be amplifying what is happening. And sports figures who speak publicly on important issues -- institutional racism, things like this -- they're not silent, they're just not in the public eye right now."

The days of cutting your own hair are coming to an end as non-essential businesses, like hair salons, are slowly opening back up after months of stay-at-home orders to slow down the spread of the coronavirus outbreak. But as many states begin to ease restrictions, you may find yourself wondering if it's safe to go to the hair salon. Regardless of where you go, precautions will need to be taken by all parties involved to ensure everyone’s safety. Health.com notes that the biggest issue with going to a hair salon is that there is a lot of close contact, which isn't ideal for a virus that spreads through person-to-person contact. Claudia Skinner, DNP, former critical care nurse and director of clinical excellence at St. Jude Medical Center in Orange County, CA, told the publication that the biggest risk is coming into contact with someone that’s asymptomatic. Another concern is touching commonly shared areas like salon chairs and tools. The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) has provided detailed guidance for beauty salons that encourage reducing the amount of customers allowed in a shop at one time, limiting face-to-face contact by standing behind clients, requiring stylists and customers to wear face masks and shields, and sanitizing high-touch areas. Many states and cities are issuing their own safety guidelines to ensure safe operation, while hair salons are taking it upon themselves to put rules in place to protect clients. Danielle Cohen-Shohet, co-founder of spa and salon software company GlossGenius, will only accept contactless payments. Her salons will also separate workstations and measure temperatures upon entering the salon. One salon in Schaumburg, Illinois is going is asking customers to limit the amount of objects they bring in and to refrain from bringing in food and non-bottled drinks. Charles Bailey, MD, medical director of infection prevention at St. Joseph Hospital and Mission Hospital in Orange County, CA, said if customers are worried, there are things they can do ahead of time including calling salons to find out what policies they've implemented and what to expect from the appointment. Many salons are also sharing rules and guidelines on their social media accounts. The bottom line is that there is a risk of exposure everywhere you go. Be sure to practice proper social distancing, avoid going out if you're feeling ill, and follow guidelines if you do decide to go to the salon. Trending Coronavirus Coverage From RADIO.COM—You can finally call the IRS about your stimulus check—Disney World partially reopens to lines after blunt warning to customers—Hair Stylist worked for 8 days at Great Clips location despite having COVID-19 symptoms—Person infected with COVID-19 exposed 180 people during church service—Poll: Many Americans won’t return to gyms or dining out—Millions of coronavirus stimulus checks to be issued on prepaid debit cards—Coronavirus survivor shares alarming body transformation photo while in the hospital—Are smokers at less risk for contracting the coronavirus? LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM AppFollow RADIO.COMFacebook | Twitter | Instagram

A former Mets prospect has sounded off about the organization after his recent release.Andrew Church, a second-round pick of the Mets in 2013, took to social media to vent after he became one of hundreds of minor leaguers cut amid the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus crisis.Church, a 25-year-old right-handed pitcher who has spent his entire career to date with the Mets, suggested the organization exploited his competitive spirit and reticence to say no to an assignment, deploying him as an injury replacement across the farm system in such a way that it ultimately led to him getting injured."I have always kept my opinions to myself out of respect for the organization I signed a contract with," Church said on Instagram. "But now that it’s officially over with them I’d like to say some things. One of the main reasons I retired was to keep myself from expressing how I felt." Church retired in 2018 after suffering an injury, but he later returned to attempt a comeback in 2019. "I was bitter, frustrated, and angry at the Mets organization," Church said. "I felt my competitive nature was being taken advantage of. They knew I would never say no to competing and would fly me around to fill in for anyone that got injured. I realized this wasn’t in my best interest when my delayed flight finally landed in the 3rd inning, and I was on the mound in a AAA baseball game for the first time, without any warm up throws. My UCL originally tore that night. Instead of seeing a doctors like I asked, they sent me back to High A to pitch in the playoffs. When I told them I couldn’t I was made out to be the bad guy."The Mets are no strangers to accusations of mishandling injuries. In recent years alone, the Amazin's have been accused of botching injuries of stars Yoenis Cespedes, Noah Syndergaard, and Jacob deGrom, among many others.But Church said there was insult added to the mismanagement of injuries, in an apparent shot at Mets celebrity minor leaguer Tim Tebow."Then the next year, they made a mockery of our team by putting a celebrity on it to sell more tickets. I saw players lose their jobs because of it. We weren’t playing to win, we were playing to make everyone else money. Not the players. We never saw a cut. Well, allegedly that one player did." The Mets have come under criticism for keeping Tebow on their payroll when it's become clear he is unlikely to ever reach the Majors, certainly not as an impact player and probably not even as a competent reserve. Church has a 4.83 ERA and 308 strikeouts in 454 1/3 career innings in the minors. View this post on Instagram Please read to understand my true feelings. Today I got released by the NY Mets organization. The people on the other end of the phone had nothing but good things to say and I appreciated that very much. Anyone that has seen me play and compete knows that I lay it all on the line no matter what. Every practice, every game. I am a competitor, a true warrior. It’s in my DNA. From the outside looking in, my baseball career probably raises a lot of questions. Why did you retire and come back? How come your numbers aren’t very good if you were that dedicated? I have always kept my opinions to myself out of respect for the organization I signed a contract with. But now that it’s officially over with them I’d like to say some things. One of the main reasons I retired was to keep myself from expressing how I felt. I was bitter, frustrated, and angry at the Mets organization. I felt my competitive nature was being taken advantage of. They knew I would never say no to competing and would fly me around to fill in for anyone that got injured. I realized this wasn’t in my best interest when my delayed flight finally landed in the 3rd inning, and I was on the mound in a AAA baseball game for the first time, without any warm up throws. My UCL originally tore that night. Instead of seeing a doctors like I asked, they sent me back to High A to pitch in the playoffs. When I told them I couldn’t I was made out to be the bad guy. Then the next year, they made a mockery of our team by putting a celebrity on it to sell more tickets. I saw players lose their jobs because of it. We weren’t playing to win, we were playing to make everyone else money. Not the players. We never saw a cut. Well, allegedly that one player did. I think people are starting to understand that more now but they didn’t in 2018 when it was happening again. I was fed up. I spent my whole childhood honing in my passion and anger, to not let it get out of control, but it was and I was going to explode. So I took the opposite direction, I bottled it and silenced myself. I took some time away and cleared my head. Continued in comments.. A post shared by Andrew Church (@papachurch36) on May 28, 2020 at 6:29pm PDT

The prom must go on! After Rachel Chapman’s high school prom in North Carolina was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the adorable seven-year-old she babysits decided to organize his own mini-celebration for her. With the help of his mother, Curtis Rogers planned the entire bash in the family’s backyard. “When we told him that she wasn’t getting a prom, he’s like, ‘Well, we could do a mini prom,'” Curtis’ mother told WTVD. Tonight Curtis hosted a "Mini-Prom" for Rachel, our amazing nanny whose Senior Prom was cancelled. He planned almost...Posted by Elissa Rogers on Monday, May 25, 2020 Curtis started by creating a sign for the promposal and then worked on figuring out the three-course menu, picking out the table decorations and making the perfect playlist. On the night of the prom, Curtis wore a spiffy blue checkered suit and Rachel, 17, came dressed in a flowing pink dress. He made sure his bowtie matched her outfit. After making a toast, the pair danced but kept a safe distance with the help of a pool noodle. While Rachel had been babysitting Curtis for about a year, she hadn’t seen him in two months due to the pandemic. “It was very sweet of him, really thoughtful,” Rachel said of the evening. “It was the first time I saw him in two months after seeing him, like, every day. It was just, like, really fun and I’m really glad that he did that.” Curtis said he was motivated to throw the prom because Rachel is “the best nanny ever.” “I planned it out because Rachel probably just wanted to see me a lot and she also is one of the best people I’ve known,” he added. In the fall, Rachel is set to attend East Carolina University. Trending Coronavirus Coverage From RADIO.COM—You can finally call the IRS about your stimulus check—Disney World partially reopens to lines after blunt warning to customers—Hair Stylist worked for 8 days at Great Clips location despite having COVID-19 symptoms—Person infected with COVID-19 exposed 180 people during church service—Poll: Many Americans won’t return to gyms or dining out—Millions of coronavirus stimulus checks to be issued on prepaid debit cards—Coronavirus survivor shares alarming body transformation photo while in the hospital—Are smokers at less risk for contracting the coronavirus? LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM AppFollow RADIO.COMFacebook | Twitter | Instagram