What does the Pandemic Mean for the Sports World?

Image courtesy of fifa.com

As we all know, the entire world is in the midst of a major pandemic due to the coronavirus. All sporting events, whether it’s at the professional or high school level, have been put to a halt for the meantime. While American teams continue to follow the protocol and are stuck at home, sporting participants in other parts of the globe are beginning to get back to their daily routines. Nonetheless, the athletic scenery may look a little different for now as all those competing are still required to follow certain guidelines. 

Europe was hit hard with the virus weeks before the U.S. experienced its first set of outbreaks. After months of quarantining, countries like Spain, England, Italy, and Germany are finally allowing some of their athletes to get back out on the fields and in the courts. For example, teams are being given the green light to practice again as long as they abide by instruction. Players have been training with coaches in very small groups where each keeps their distance from one another. Furthermore, the German soccer league, also known as the Bundesliga, was the first professional sports league to resume play as it did so this past weekend. All eighteen teams took part in action, but games were like almost never seen before sporting events. There was no surprise in terms of fans not being allowed into stadiums, although those on the sidelines had to wear masks. In addition, the substitutes had their bench seats laid out six feet apart, and to say the least, celebrations were quite odd. When a goal was scored, players stood six feet apart as well and didn’t give high fives while running off to the corner flags like they usually do. 

Other European soccer leagues in nations such as Portugal are looking to get back into games as early as mid-June. On the other hand, federations and governments in France and the Netherlands have come to the agreement to cancel seasons. Only time will tell if American leagues such as the NBA, MLS, and NHL will declare their season null and void, or eventually resume into action and follow through with their usual play off system. On the other hand, the MLB has yet to even kick off its season, but if it weren’t for the virus, MLB games would have begun to take place in March. Many have come forward to propose a plan in which the MLB could emulate to make up for the lost time. In one way or another, the coronavirus has impacted all athletes, and sporting events and leagues have been forced to restructure in ways that fans will just have to get used to.