With the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation only escalating in the United States, professional sports has been put in a bind as most leagues have already postponed or cancelled their seasons altogether.
However, the NFL has been operating as normal as the 2020 NFL season is not scheduled to begin until September. The fall start has at least given fans some hope that football will not be affected like other sports have, but with the circumstances changing every day that thought seems tenuous.
Despite the coronavirus pandemic not slowing down, President Donald Trump spoke with sports commissioners and said that he thinks the NFL may still have a shot to kick off on time according to Adam Schefter and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
In a conference call with major league sports commissioners on Saturday, President Donald Trump said he believes the NFL season should start on time in September, sources familiar with the call told ESPN.
President Trump also gave his thoughts on when fans may be able to watch in person:
Trump also said he hopes to have fans back in stadiums and arenas by August and September, sources said, though it is currently unclear if medical experts find that to be a realistic timeline amid the current coronavirus pandemic.
As of right now, it is difficult to project how much the virus will be contained later in the year and as such this timeline may prove to be hopeful at best as there are still numerous things that need to be figured out before any sport can return in good conscience. Aside from the obvious health hazards that come with fans coming to watch at the stadiums and arenas, there are also the players and team personnel that need to be cleared of the virus and any symptoms and that alone is time-consuming.
Offseason programs and the preseason should safely be assumed to be delayed or scrapped altogether thus raising even more questions about how to get players ready the regular season. The NBA has been discussing this issue as players are not expected to be able to play at an elite level with so much time off and the NFL will need to tackle this problem if the training camp schedule is interrupted.
For now, the best thing for everyone to do is to practice social distancing guidelines and stay at home. If everyone does their part, there may be a chance to get things back to normal sooner rather than later.
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