What Will Sporting Events Look Like Due to COVID-19?

How are you handling not being able to watch sports or even play them? To me, it is crazy that without them, all you can do is practice. When sports return, there will be many changes in sporting events due to COVID-19. There will be a lot of restrictions regarding number of fans, locations to play sports, and safety measures for players.

Can you picture a sporting event with no fans to cheer on their players? Sports commissioners have a good reason to limit ticket sales: protection of the players. Some players like Lebron James do not share this viewpoint, saying that he would not play without fans. Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat said that it would be boring without the fans present during games. Regardless of the support for or against the event audience restrictions, it looks like they will be strict when resuming sports.

Thinking about sports with very limited arenas sounds unbelievable, but NBA commissioner Adam Silver stated that when the NBA comes back, all games will be played in one single arena at Disney World. Players and fans alike are not happy about this, but Adam Silver said, “If games resume they will play in a place where the virus is stable.” Although it may not be a popular decision, it is smart to play games in one place so the virus spread can be limited.

In addition to audience and location restrictions, there will also be many safety measures that the athletes will have to follow when games resume. Players have to social distance and can’t go to training facilities until states are in their first reopening phases. If a player tests positive for the virus, they would have to quarantine for 14 days. Players can only train at facilities if states permit these activities. For safety, these are some rules that players will have to follow.

To conclude, sporting events will be different with all the social distancing and quarantine guidelines. When sports come back, there will be a lot of restrictions. They will look different than before because fans will not be permitted to be in the stands, there will be limited locations, and higher regard for safety of the players. Although many of us can’t wait for sports to return, let’s be patient and think about safety first!

Works Cited

Hoffman, Benjamin. “When Will the Major Sports Leagues Return?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 28 May 2020, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/05/28/burst/sports-return-nba-nfl-mlb-coronavirus.html?searchResultPosition=3.

Kuty, Brendan. “MLB Rumors: Yankees Release 45 Minor Leaguers amid Coronavirus Shutdown (UPDATE).” Nj, 2 June 2020, www.nj.com/yankees/2020/06/mlb-rumors-yankees-cuts-expected-despite-coronavirus-shutdown.html.

Stein, Marc. “N.B.A. Sets July 31 Return to Play Entirely in Florida.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 June 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/06/04/sports/basketball/coronavirus-nba-disney-world-restart.html.