COVID-19’s effect on sports in 2020
After further review … The sports year of 2020 will mark its place in history, but for the wrong reasons. Yes, some teams will be declared champions while others will just be sitting it out. My major sorrow is, of course, for those who have been sick with the coronavirus and even more so for those who have lost loved ones and friends. My prayers for those remaining with the will to live through this. If you have bouts of depression, may your faith bring you strength.
My sadness reaches out to our young people who must tolerate not only being unable to get together, but not being able to play, run, jump, throw the Frisbee, nor be part of a team. School sports have been “put- on-the- shelf” so to speak. The real value of being able to go to school is the people you meet and enjoy hanging out together. My goodness, even using the word “together” has taken on a new meaning. It’s lost its place to “social distancing” Oh, my.
Some colleges and universities are scheduling and playing football, yet the enjoyment for most students and student bodies is being with your college mates in the stadium. With COVID-19 so rampant the fear of the virus surely outweighs the risk. Many take their chances anyway.
I understand the position of the NFL, yet it has already faced postponement and rescheduling. If I may interject some personal note. On Nov. 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated; it was a Friday afternoon in Dallas. The NFL had a full schedule of games slated for Sunday — two days away. Commissioner Pete Rozelle gathered all the information available and with prayerful consideration decided that the country needed to focus on the positive, so he decided to play that full schedule of games.
On Saturday, Nov. 23, I flew from Los Angeles to Cleveland to officiate the Browns vs the Cowboys. Many fans in Municipal Stadium still felt the shock. Some had the feeling Dallas was somewhat to blame for this tragedy. While the COVID-19 does not measure up to an assassination, sports often can provide hope for the future and mitigate depression.
The NFL might have been better to order all teams to play just with whoever on their 53-man squad was healthy. Author’s note: It is easy to second- guess — “until you walk a mile in their shoes.” The comments here are not intended to do that. As the Zen Master said. “We’ll see.”
Will you keep a positive (“we’ll get through this”) attitude during this pandemic?
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