The novel coronavirus, COVID-19, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, or whatever you want to call it, has caused an onslaught of disruptions to millions of people’s everyday lives. One of those disruptions, while not the most important, is that of the effect on the sports world. Here is an update on the different major sports that have been affected by this pandemic, and what the future holds for each league:
NBA: On Wednesday, March 11, 2020, the NBA suspended its season until further notice. This came after multiple teams announced that they would play games in their arenas with no fans. The league initially announced that the suspension would begin on Thursday, but the final game of Wednesday, between the Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans, was canceled soon after the announcement. After one of the most intriguing starts to an NBA season in recent years, this news was devastating to many NBA fans. The Eastern Conference was wide open with LeBron and Kawhi gone, and the Western Conference included a battle for LA, as well as a solid 3-6 standing in the rest of the conference. The question of the remainder of the season is still up in the air, and sports fans everywhere are hoping and praying for an eventual end of the 2020 season.
NFL: Currently, the NFL has cancelled all league operations until further notice, including the high-flying NFL Draft that was planned to happen in Las Vegas from April 23-25. However, it has yet to adjust its regular-season games, which don’t start until September.
MLB: On March 12, Major League Baseball cancelled the remainder of its Spring Training games, and also announced that the start of the 2020 regular season will be delayed by at least two weeks. Hopefully, America’s favorite pastime will be able to return as soon as possible and get us through the dog days of summer.
European Soccer: Soccer in all of Europe is currently on a hiatus. While different leagues cancelled at different times, every league ended up cancelling eventually. The European Championship, second only to the World Cup in importance and value in international soccer, will be postponed until 2021.
XFL: Some of you might say this isn’t a major sports league. Well, it is. And the XFL has suspended operations as of April 10, and laid off nearly all of its staff. Currently, the league has no plan to return for the 2021 season. For all of us football fans out there, this is a devastating blow. This league, which was far superior to the AAF, had a promising future that seems to be no more.