Future unknown
Major leagues respond to crisis
The absence of sports has been keenly felt and a major talking point during the coronavirus pandemic. While the first North American case of COVID-19 was reported on Jan. 21, it wasn’t until the NBA officially suspended its season on March 11 that things “got real” for many. This was the same day the World Health Organization declared the virus a pandemic, but let’s be honest — the NBA has more than four times theTwitter followers of the WHO, and when you’re talking about more than 30 million people, the impact of the major leagues’ responses to the crisis is hard to argue.
This year’s Major League Baseball season was postponed just as spring training started.Though an announcement was made on March 9 that both training and the regular season would proceed as scheduled, the league began announcing increasingly strict precautionary measures just three days later. ESPN reported that the MLB’s “Arizona Plan” — in which all of the league’s teams and players would quarantine in a single city and play all games in that city’s stadium — looks to be the league’s best option for the remainder of 2020, but nothing has been made official yet. At the end of April, season-ticket holders filed a class action lawsuit against MLB for denying refunds. Technicalities and the “up in the air” nature of the situation is going to make it a tough battle for both parties.
Hockey fans are getting new content from the NHL, which put together two new series for fans looking to pass the time and maybe even win some prizes. “NHL HatTrick Trivia,” hosted by P.K. Subban of the New Jersey Devils, connects with contestants who are given three questions of increasing difficulty; each correct answer earns them increasingly awesome prizes. Appearances from some of the contestants’ favorite players, and the ability to play along from home, make the show endearing, wholesome and a ton of fun.
Then there’s “#HockeyAtHome,” an interview series that almost feels like having your own conference call with NHL legends. A handful of sports networks carry both series, but they’re also available for free on the NHL’sYouTube channel, as well as its Facebook and Instagram accounts. And finally, the NHL’s Future Goals program, a STEM learning course previously only available through registered schools, is now accessible to all parents (and big kids) at futuregoals.nhl.com.
The tennis association that organizes Wimbledon has been dropping nearly $2 million per year for “pandemic insurance,” which plenty of fans were shocked to learn is even a thing.The association is now set to cash in on a $141-million payout, and the tournament wasn’t even scheduled until the beginning of July.
FIFA’s postponed season has led to a highly congested schedule, prompting changes to the rules of the game itself and allowing teams to sub in extra players during games to prevent overworking and increased risk of injury. And fans still hold on to hope that the NFL season won’t be severely affected since it doesn’t start until September, though scouting and combines were all but canceled.