The Covid-19 pandemic has devastated industries throughout the world. Restaurants, airlines, movie theaters, and public transportation are just a few industries that were hit hard by this pandemic. One of the industries that was hit the hardest was sports. Everything ranging from stadium gift shops to entire teams had their revenues cut and slashed down to the bone. Due to Covid, many questions about certain leagues and teams were brought up throughout this offseason. This article will highlight the major things that occurred to each league or sporting event in the wake of this pandemic that has affected so many lives.
First off, let’s talk about all the events that were canceled by Covid. The first major international sporting event that was cancelled was the Tokyo Summer Olympics and is currently in talks with trying to come back. All the qualifying rounds were either fully canceled or postponed. Even the traditional Olympic flame lighting ceremony was canceled and then performed at a later date with no spectators. The Olympics, one of the most cherished and greatest symbols of sports, was not immune to the devastating effects of Coronavirus. Many countries including Britain and Canada have stated unless the entire Summer Olympics is pushed back at least one year, they will not attend at all. It has even been stated that if a vaccine is not made, the Olympics in Tokyo will be canceled completely. What does it say about the reach of Covid, when one of the most coveted and important events that brings countries and people together succumbs to the full force of this pandemic? Also, many colleges throughout the United States had significant losses to their sports programs, most notably the NCAA’s March Madness. This was the first time in its 81 year history where the NCAA basketball tournaments were fully canceled. College football was also not immune to this disease. Many major leagues including Big Ten and PAC 12 have all been canceled. NCAA baseball was also canceled. It’s not just these sports but also tennis, hockey, soccer, track, golf, wrestling, gymnastics, and etc. All these college sports have either canceled this year’s season or are coming to that decision soon. This is a huge blow to college sports, not just for the audience that has to suffer a full year without college sports, but also to the players who lose a very important year that could have been used to impress pro scouts. Some juniors and seniors have now lost an entire year of play and highlights that could have impressed scouts and won them pro contracts. Countless other events in many different countries were canceled, causing one of the most lackluster times in sports history.
These following leagues and sporting events are the ones that have been postponed, but there is no word yet if they will continue. These sporting events have been labeled with “will be commenced at a later date”. As a sports fan, hearing “later date” feels a lot like hearing your mom say “I’ll think about it.” It probably won’t happen, but it’s great to dream. The biggest name on this list is the Winter Olympics. Granted, the Winter Olympics are scheduled for 2022, but it’s already been affected. Many qualifying rounds have already been canceled, such as curling, while many others have already been postponed. The fact that the Summer Olympics was canceled dawns a spotlight on the Winter Olympics. If it stays, it will be a great reminder of the love that the international community has for the Olympics and sports. If it’s canceled, it will be another win for the pandemic and a devastating loss for the sports community. College sports are on this list as well. While many conferences and leagues have been canceled, some have stuck around and are trying to gain support for its return. There are even petitions trying to get canceled conferences back on. While it’s great to see this motivation and determination in players, coaches, and spectators, it feels like a desperate move to try to win something that has already been lost. Many PGA tournaments have either been fully canceled or postponed to a “later date”. This list is very short because many leagues and tournaments around the world have already come up with a decision for this upcoming year of sports — cancellation
Finally, we have to talk about the best list of them all. The sports that have come back. This list is what gives fans hope of a rebound. Something that will make this quarantine better. Most of the major sports leagues are back such as the NBA, MLB, NFL, Soccer, NASCAR, NHL, MMA, WWE, Golf, and a few others sprinkled in. NASCAR was the first to come back, which probably made the most sense given that this is a sport where it’s participants are in individual cars and the fans can watch from home. However, it isn’t completely back. Like most other leagues, NASCAR had to shut certain things down. Many races were cut from the schedule, but this is the one sport that came back relatively quickly. Next is the PGA tour. While many of its courses and tournaments have been either canceled or postponed, there are still a lot of courses that have either been played or are about to be played. This reopening also makes a lot of sense as golf isn’t a type of sport where social distancing would be hard and keeping the spectators at length wouldn’t be that much of a struggle either. However, there have been a few hiccups where caddies and certain players have been diagnosed with coronavirus, but as long as they keep it under control then golf should be alright in continuing. Next is soccer. While many international events have either been canceled or postponed indefinitely, soccer was one of the few to be able to bounce back. Many of the main leagues were able to come back, such as the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, and Ligue 1. All were shut down in March and all came back in May or June. UFC and WWE also came back very soon. It was very easy to monitor these leagues given that there were usually only two fighters, keeping contact low and all the fans at home. Granted, the two leagues weren’t the best at enforcing CDC guidelines, but then again, when you get pummeled for a living, a virus might not scare you as much.
Now, we come to the Big Four. Firstly, the NBA had the most creative of returns. They had shut down the rest of the regular season, but playoffs were coming up and the major question was: do we shut down for the rest of the season, or do we come back? They came back with a very interesting loophole. First, only 22 teams will finish the season: 13 Western Conference Teams and 9 Eastern Conference Teams. Then, the question became how do we contain the players in case there are cases of the coronavirus affecting the players. The answer: a bubble. All the players and coaches were contained in Orlando, where they would play the rest of the season and playoffs. No fans were permitted to be there in person, but the NBA allowed virtual fans to come in and have their face on the big screen. The WNBA has also decided to come back and finish their season, but a lot of their main players have been opting out for fear of the coronavirus. However, the league will continue on with the players that will opt in to play.
Next up is the NHL. The NHL was in the same boat as the NBA. Both were at the end of the season when the virus hit stateside. However, like the NBA, the NHL came back for the playoffs. 24 teams will be playing in the playoffs. For hockey fans, if that seems like too many teams than normal, you’re right. The 5th-12th seeded teams in both conferences will be playing in a play-in series for the final spots in the playoffs. There will be two host cities, which are Edmonton and Toronto, to cut down on travel, but coronavirus is still a huge scare for this league.
Then comes the mess that is called the MLB. The MLB had a hard time getting off the ground to restart their season. The players association wanted an 89 game season with no pay cuts, but the MLB countered with a 72 game season with some pay cuts. Then, it was just a verbal tennis match between two associations that basically resulted in a classic “I’m rubber and you’re glue” argument. It ended with the MLB imposing a 60 game season on the players with no extended playoffs, along with various, gimmicky rules. First, a designated hitter rule, and then a runner on second base starting in the 10th inning. These gimmicky rules are upsetting fans as watching the game is comparable to going to the carnival.
Finally, we reach the NFL. The NFL has a very different situation than anyone else. The NFL didn’t even start their season before the coronavirus hit, causing the offseason to be very messy. Training camps will be subject to change at any given moment and the rules are made by a simple philosophy: “ Just Wing It.” Preseason games were all cut and the rules are still being made for the postseason.
In conclusion, sports have a new face. It is very different and none of us know how it’s going to go, but at least we learned something valuable about sports. Sports are needed. Sports make us feel entertained. It keeps our mind off the horribleness of the outside world, and when it’s gone, we can’t help but be stuck in our reality with no way out. Sports is and always will be a way to escape reality and I for one can’t wait for it to come back fully.
