The Coronavirus disease, also known as COVID-19, has altered the way the world has functioned. The deadly virus has been spiking in several states and that may cause professional sports again to have to alter the plan to start up their leagues.
The implementation of social distancing was supposed to help slow down the continuous spread of the virus. Over the first few months, those practices were in place, and most of society followed the national guidelines local and state officials put in place.
Now after staying sheltered, several have taken to wearing no masks or even abiding by the six-foot rule of space for social distancing. Not to mention the civil unrest of widespread protest against police brutality that has engulfed the United States and the world, outbreaks of the virus could be gaining momentum for an even worse case of the pandemic.
Professional sports leagues have had multiple discussions on how to deal with the pandemic and still be able to complete their seasons, or as in the case of the NFL, start their regular season on time in Septemeber.
Unfortunately for the pro leagues, the rise in spikes in areas where training and or games would be played such as Arizona, California, and Florida have put a significant ‘risk’ into continuing to push for games. Couple that with the social protest, and it seems as if sports again will have to take a backseat to the two more significant issues.
Fans who desperately want a return to sports will have to remember just like their jobs keeping everyone out of the office for safety reasons; pro athletes need to be treated the same way. They, too, have families, and their craft is their respected occupation. Take the entertainment value away from what they do for a living, and it would be sensible to cancel the remainder of the seasons. The NFL may have to follow suit even before they have officially started the 2020 regular season.
It appears that an impasse should the virus continue to spike would be inevitable to play games under a condition that benefits both players and fans. To do so could be putting everyone in harm’s way.
In badly wanting sports back to help occupy fans mentally from the ills and issues of the world, the times we are currently in will be the precedent of everything going forward. That precedent may be to stop everything until a known cure is patented or until a plan to prevent the spread from athlete to athlete is proven.
Since some pro teams have opened their training facilities back up, several players and coaches have already tested positive for COVID-19. That can’t be a positive look for any league despite the athlete’s quick availability to testing that the general public may not have at their disposal.
All it will take is another big name player to test positive, and the leagues may be forced to postpone seasons out of sheer fear and uncertainty from fellow athletes.
The NFL has conducted business as if there will be training camps later next month and, ultimately, a regular-season in August.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and one of the leading specialists in the fight against the Corona Virus recently said the NFL would need a bubble to have a season. A similar approach is what the NBA is attempting to manufacture in Central Florida at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex.
“Unless players are essentially in a bubble — insulated from the community and they are tested nearly every day — it would be very hard to see how football is able to be played this fall,” Fauci said while appearing on CNN. “If there is a second wave, which is certainly a possibility and which would be complicated by the predictable flu season, football may not happen this year.”
Those comments don’t mean the NFL season won’t happen, but it does raise red flags that there is a chance that it won’t.
Over the past few days, the NFL and the NFL Players Association have issued statements regarding COVID-19 and Dr. Fauci’s comments.
NFLPA Medical Director Dr. Thom Mayer had the following to say after Fauci made his remarks.
“Dr. Anthony Fauci’s words carry important weight as he has served our country with expert guidance and moral clarity through many crises,” Mayer said. “As we have communicated to our players throughout the spring, we know there are significant challenges to the operation of football during a global pandemic. So far, we have been guided and made decisions based on the best available science and current state of infections and hospitalizations. Our joint task force is comprised of experts in multiple areas who are working every day with health and safety in mind.
“In addition to stringent protocols and workplace safety, we continue to reinforce the importance of widely available testing. It is not just a key to restarting football, but also a matter of public health. While the information we currently have indicates it will not be an issue in the near future, we all agree that ethically, we can not as a non-essential business, take resources away from our fellow Americans.
“We will continue to update you as we move forward through the summer.”
As more cases continue to grow and more athletes test positive for the virus, it will be essential to see what the pro leagues have for backup plans.
Major League Baseball has announced when they get back to playing this summer in empty stadiums players won’t be allowed to eat sunflower seeds, spit during games, and or lick their fingers. Managers and players won’t be able to argue with umpires by getting in their faces which has become a baseball tradition. While in the dugout, players and coaches will have to wear masks.
Will these measures be enough to keep the games going on?
Sports fans don’t want to see cancelations, but during these unprecedented times, that may be a reality that everyone is facing despite the measures of the leagues to continue. Sports, however, have always been a leader and lightning-rod for society. If major sports leagues can work through the pandemic and sustain successful seasons despite being shortened than perhaps they can show other entities how to work together and get through one of the toughest health crises in a century.