What else is there to write about at this point?  Here in the United States and in many other countries around the world, nearly every business has been shut down for the foreseeable future due to the outbreak of COVID-19.  Included in those businesses are our beloved sports.  From the NBA to the NCAA, from professional to recreational, all sports leagues have been locked up and put away along with the rest of our lives as we try to quell the spread of this devastating disease.  Even though this may appear to be a temporary pause for daily life as normal, the reality is that impacts could extend well into the future.

One of the first leagues to suspend its season was the NBA after it was confirmed that Utah Jazz big man Rudy Gobert, former Defensive Player of the Year, had contracted the coronavirus.  Although it was the most progressive among the major sporting leagues, the NBA also has the most to lose.  Without an end to the regular season, the league could be losing out on nearly $1 billion in profits.  Also, beyond April 1st, players are not guaranteed payment if the season is still in delay.  If we cannot schedule the playoffs as well, the affects will be even worse.  Each and every year, the playoffs for the NBA are a major cash cow as more and more tune in as the Finals approaches.  By some estimates, this could push the losses up close to another $1 billion.  As for the coming free agent market and the lucrative deals players have been signing over the past few seasons, the end could be near for the quarter-billion dollar contract.

The NHL will have similar circumstances.  Canceling after the NBA announced their decision, the hockey world stands to lose a lot as well.  Another sports league with a high volume regular season, the NHL sees a lot of its viewership and high ticket prices in the playoffs.  Losing out on that revenue could be devastating not only for owners and administration, but, like the NBA, players themselves.  With lower revenues come lower payrolls, and for those on the edge of the roster, or on AHL subsidiaries, the end of many careers could be near.  This all goes without mentioning one of the most prestigious trophies in all of sports, the Stanley Cup.  The last time an NHL season occurred without a team hoisting the cup was in 1919 when the Spanish flu outbreak was wreaking havoc on the world (sounds similar doesn’t it).  While the league offices are making all attempts to return to action as soon as possible, the reality might be that we see the first canceled season of our lifetimes.

Other leagues in the United States will be affected too.  The MLB, NFL, and all spring NCAA sports are already feeling the affects.  I feel that the last topic of conversation for this post, however, should be the Olympics.  Scheduled to be held in Tokyo, 2020, the Olympic Games have officially been postponed until 2021.  This represents one of the most monumental sports decisions over the course of this outbreak.  The Olympics are competitions that have only ever been postponed during the World Wars.  For all the athletes who have been training tirelessly for the last four years of their lives to reach the world stage, this setback will feel horrible.  To be at the peak of your training and then continue that for another year is difficult in itself, not to mention how training will actually occur, or how Olympic athletes will now be chosen.

The end of sports as we know them is awful for all of us.  What has been keeping me going is not the repetitive ESPN content or the obsession over Tom Brady’s trade to the Buccaneers, but reminding myself of the bigger picture.  Cancelling sports will inevitably save lives, and that is worth it all.

To all my readers,

Good luck and stay healthy.

 

Reference:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2020/03/12/coronavirus-update-sporting-events-cancelled-or-postponed-by-the-global-pandemic/#594684582c8c