The Colorado Rapids canceled postgame fireworks because of ... THE PLAGUE!?!!?

In the wild and absurd times that we live in, there’s little that happens now that is legitimately surprising. Glaciers are melting, the political world is descending into chaos, and Manchester United is paying record fees for Harry Maguire. We may as well exist in the Mad Max world.

Yet, something surprising did happen today. Just after noon, the Colorado Rapids tweeted out a press release regarding their upcoming Saturday match, the post-game fireworks and parking situation:

It’s easy to miss at first, but once you come back to read the tweet again, you’ll notice the word “plague”, which seems like something that deserves more than a standard press release. In the linked article, the team says:

“Following recommendations from the Tri-County Health Department and the City of Commerce City, the Colorado Rapids game with Montreal Impact on Saturday, August 3 at 7PM will go ahead as scheduled. However, it has been recommended that the post-game fireworks display be cancelled due to the confirmed presence of plague-infested fleas affecting prairie dog colonies in the surrounding areas.

Additionally, in accordance with the Tri-County Health Department’s recommendation for the safety of all attendees, parking lots at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park will be restricted to asphalt lots until further notice.”

I admit that I don’t have the most in-depth knowledge about the conditions of many cities in America, or in the world, but I really thought that the plague was a thing that existed between the 6th and 14th century. Not in Denver, Colorado in 2019. And certainly not something that is affecting people going to soccer games.

The CDC website says that there had been three types of plagues: the Justinian Plague in the 6th century, the most famous “Black Death” that started in China in 1334 and wiped out 60% of Europe, and the modern plague that started in China in 1890, spread to port cities around the world for the next 20 years. With the last version of the plague, scientists were able to identity that it was spread by infectious flea bites, and while the rat-associated plague was brought under control, the disease still spread to small mammals in America, Asia, and Africa.

Which brings us to the Denver metropolitan area, where apparently, the plague is just a thing that people are aware of and live with the knowledge of.

The CDC site states that:

“The most recent plague epidemics have been reported in India during the first half of the 20th century, and in Vietnam during wartime in the 1960s and 1970s. Plague is now commonly found in sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar, areas which now account for over 95% of reported cases”

But when I tweeted my shock at the fact that Denver has the fucking plague, some of my followers who lived close to the Rapids stadium responded to say that it wasn’t as big of an event as it seemed to me, someone who doesn’t live in a place that has the plague.

So, I asked one of my followers, Timothy Edington, who lives a few blocks from the Rapids stadium for more information about living in a place that has the plague.

On the casual nature of living next to the plague:

“Yeah, all of eastern Colorado is basically a high prairie and we have prairie dogs like the south has kudzu. They get fleas that basically carry plague on them and every so often they have to do stuff like this so they don’t pass it on to humans. They are skittish little creature so direct transfer isn’t the problem, it’s more a worry that they’ll transfer their fleas to other animals that will transfer them to your pets, get. This is the first time I can remember it affecting an event at DSG though.”

On whether he’s ever heard or read about the disease being transferred to humans (earlier this year, a dog exposed over 100 people in Colorado to the plague):

“There aren’t any human transfers that I’m aware of, but I’ve only been living here for three years...Just asked my neighbor who’s lived here since the 50’s and she said she can’t remember any human transfers since the 70’s.”

On efforts to curb the problem:

“They are spraying the non-paved parking areas with a pesticide and that is why they are closing the areas. It’s some pretty nasty [things] that [they] don’t want people coming in contact with (also why they closed the wildlife refuge and several regional parks and open spaces).”

On his reaction when he first moved to Denver and found out that the plague was a thing there:

“I spend most of time out in the woods doing wild land firefighting and wildfire mitigation, so I’m pretty used to some weird nature shit, but the fact that the plague showed up a few blocks from my house was pretty fucking out there man. Also keeping dog as inside as possible for the next couple of days.”

On whether people around the area are at all freaked out about the plague, like the rest of us, who don’t live near the plague, are:

“They only talk about when stuff like this happens and it inconveniences folks. Everyone know the p-dogs are flea and disease infested little varmints, but they are also a crucial part of the local habitat so it’s a balancing act.”

On whether he’s still going to the game, since it’s only the post-match fireworks that’s cancelled:

“Nah, we’re in last place and My Morning Jacket is playing at Red Rocks.”

So there you have it. The plague is just a normal thing that people around the Rapids stadium barely talk about unless a big event happens. They just live there, around animals carrying the modern version of the disease that wiped out more than half of Europe. And this disease exists in prairie dogs, who might look cute, but apparently carry one of the most retro diseases ever.

The CDC says that the “plague can be treated with antibiotics, and can be prevented from spreading by prompt identification, treatment and management of human cases.” Yet, as normal and non-threatening as the CDC, Timothy, and the Rapids, have made the plague being a thing seem, I still can’t get away from the fact that, first, the plague is a thing still. Second, that the Rapids would cancel the fireworks, but not the match itself, considering the fact that it’s the plague. And third, that people are just going about their lives around there with the plague just chilling right outside.

No matter how much sense it makes that this is a normal situation, at least for people in Denver, and that it is under control, there’s still the small fact that it’s the fucking plague.