Many of us never thought a day like this would come. Sports fans around the world flounder in their efforts to find live sports of any level to consume.
Every major and minor sports league in the United States has been postponed indefinitely. High school and college athletics have been halted as well. Furthermore, many high-profile world sporting events have been pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 summer Olympics and the EURO2020 football tournament to name a couple.
Let me begin by restating the obvious: Many, many people worldwide love sports. Sports are a vital part of their daily life.
As of now, the extent of global sport is represented by the Belarusian football league and some behind-closed-doors UFC fights.
First, let me say, the correct decisions have most definitely been made. The safety of the global population is much more important than the sum of any and all sporting leagues. As the tally of confirmed cases has now soared to upwards of 730 thousand globally according to Johns Hopkins, the spread needs to be slowed before normal daily life can resume.
One of my favorite sports saying is: "Sports are a microcosm of life."
Applying that statement at a time like that can be extremely difficult. There are very, very few sports right now. Does that mean we, as a global community, are barely alive? I wouldn't go that far. That's way too harsh, an extreme overreaction.
However, life really changed for many in the United States during the second week of March.
Within a time-framed of less than 24 hours, the country went from seeing two teams cleared off of the court just seconds before tip-off in an NBA game between the Utah Jazz and the Oklahoma City Thunder to having all four major sports leagues announce that they would be suspending their seasons until further notice.
For many, seeing these sports-related situations and announcements unfold live, whether it was via live television, social media or word of mouth, really hammered home the severity of the illness. For a good number of Americans, until this period of a few days, COVID-19 was a foreign disease that we had heard much about through news outlets and social media. But now it's here. It's affecting us directly.
In the hours following the cancellation of the Jazz Thunder game, news came to light that Jazz forward Rudy Gobert had tested positive for the virus. This is presumably why players were pulled off of the court, the game was postponed and fans were asked to leave the arena. The severity of the idea that an athlete could have been participating in his or her sport while carrying the virus is certainly what prompted all leagues in the country to quickly follow the NBA's lead in canceling games. Since then, many other high-profile athletes and coaches have tested positive for the virus despite no games being played.
Now, fast forward to today.
Most states are either under advice to shelter in place or a strong urge to stay at home. Colleges and schools alike have been shut down and many non-essential employees are being asked to work from home. The complaints about the extreme boredom are fervent and many people are spending days at a time inside their homes.
In a time of required quarantine, the presence of live sports would act as a much-needed outlet for so many during this time. Sports fans would give anything to get lost in a game or match for a couple of hours, being consumed by the action and letting all outside drama and worry melt away.
Not only can we not watch sports, we can't really play them either.
Getting together with friends to play some pickup basketball goes against the advice of the CDC and WHO, and would likely do more to spread the disease. Many people are struggling to get sufficient exercise during this quarantine period. Some are even struggling to see the outdoors and get daily fresh air.
So what's the point of all of this?
The truth is, right now, the situation is bleak. Not only are many sick and some afraid for their well-being, there is no real timetable on when things will go back to normal.
However, out of any bad situation good things can come.
This sports hiatus has helped me realize how much sports really mean to me, as I'm confident it has to many others. I knew they were a big deal before this, but now I realize what a massive hole in my life there is in their absence.
What a blessing it is that, during normal life, we can turn on the television and watch any of a dozen different sports at one time. Better yet, what a blessing it is that we have the freedom to, at any time, call up a group of friends, grab a ball and play some basketball. Some people, living in certain areas of the world, don't even have these luxuries.
So yeah, right now, there's no March Madness. The NBA and NHL playoff pushes aren't heating up. The MLB season has not begun like originally scheduled.
But once the impact of this pandemic plateaus, the sports world will be more alive than ever. Just think of how jam-packed next summer will be. NBA and NHL finals. EURO2020--Now "EURO2021." And the summer Olympics in Toyko, that have also been pushed back to next year.
Right now it's about the health of our brothers and sisters around the world. Sports will return. And when they do, they will help us heal.
And let us never take them for granted again.
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