The Day the Sporting World Stood Still

THE DAY THE SPORTING WORLD STOOD STILL

by Alex "Moose" Strizak

If you cancel it, they won't come.

From empty arenas to an entire NBA team being escorted off the court in Oklahoma City... Needless to say, this whole situation has been confusing and crazy...

It's safe to say that Wednesday, March 11th and Thursday, March, 12th is a time we have not experienced in the sporting world.

Over the last 24 hours, we have seen nearly every major upcoming sporting event in the United States get cancelled. Even at the college and youth level, competitions across the entire nation are being given the axe to avoid the spread of the new Coronavirus named COVID-19.

Let's try to look at some of the key moments that got us here from a sports-perspective:

January 22, 2020 - Olympic Boxing Qualifiers Cancelled

This was the first officially cancelled sporting event due to COVID-19. Women's soccer qualifiers were also relocated out of Wuhan, as well. Both of these events were set to take place in Wuhan which was obviously having its difficulties with the virus, but it seemed like a local sporting issue for the Wuhan area.

February 25, 2020 - Soccer Matches Being Played in Empty Stadiums

The first cancelled sporting event outside of Asia, and a creepy one at that. Seeing soccer players in an empty stadium was freaky and reminded me of those high school championship games that were played at major league stadiums or arenas.

February 29, 2020 - Five Series A Matches Were Postponed

Now it's getting more drastic in the sporting community. When games are not being played altogether, that is something serious because how many times have you seen a sporting team miss an opportunity to make money? However, the United States didn't seem to have much dialogue on this since it was on the other end of the pond and not as many U.S. sports fans watch soccer.

March 9, 2020 - ATP and WTA Cancel Indian Wells Tennis Tournament

The first event on home turf that is cancelled. It is absolutely pouring in the Coachella Valley right now which would have impacted the tournament anyway, but that's not the point. This was the first major event to truly see the COVID-19 potential impact on sports in North America. However, this decision did seem to be met with some criticism in the immediate reactions, but now is being viewed as the right decision by most individuals.

March 11, 2020 at 3:31 PM EST - NCAA Tournament to be Played in Empty Arenas

We thought this would be the biggest news of the COVID-19 situation in our sports world. Not to spoil the surprise, but it wasn't. In the moment, the idea of an NCAA Tournament with no fans just seemed incomprehensible. Now, the idea of not having a tournament at all seems incomprehensible.

March 11, 2020 at 8:46 PM EST - NBA Season Goes on Hiatus

The big one. Even with all the previous cancellations worldwide, this was the one that really sunk it in for North American sports-fans. The idea that a multi-billion dollar revenue production was going on hiatus when it was just reaching its peak time was jaw-dropping for many sports-fans, including myself.

The cancellation of the tennis tournament was our first real taste of the cancellation storm that was on the horizon for the United States. The NBA announcement was when lightning finally struck. Now that lightning has stuck, here comes the thunder...

We now have the NBA, MLB, NHL, PGA, and almost every NCAA Winter & Spring sport suspended for the foreseeable future and when they do return there is no promise of spectators being allowed in at first... NASCAR seems to be the last one standing and is hoping to run its next two races (Atlanta and Homestead) but without any spectators in the stands. 

What has been most interesting to me is how quickly the shutdown occurred and how well received it has been by the general sports population. The numbers for COVID-19 are constantly being updated and will make this section old news real quick, so we will use a rough estimate.

The United States has over 1,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and over 30 deaths, compared to H1N1 which had 60.8 million cases and 12,469 deaths. 

Any time a life is lost, it is tragic. There has not been a drastic loss or spread when analyzing the population as a whole. However, it seems that most sports-fans agree with the leagues' decisions to take these precautions and deal with the financial complications later while focusing on the public's health now.

What's Next?

That's the thing, we've never been in this situation before in sports... Or have we been in a similar situation?

You could argue that the baseball strike was a bit similar in that it was indefinite. However, that was one sport.

You could argue World War II in that some of the world's best athletes traded their gloves for rifles, but the whole country was at war together (and I wouldn't say the efforts done with COVID-19 to this point would meet that level of "coming togetherness").

You could argue 9/11, but nothing can really compare to the experiences with 9/11 and also you kind of knew that the sporting world would return in the near future.
With H1N1, sports continued to progress full steam ahead and, honestly, sports can be the best distraction from many issues. However, this time it appears the issues we want to escape from for at least a little enjoyment in a difficult time have found their way into the sporting world, as well.

We also need to address that this hiatus could have a drastic impact on the future of many athletes. There are key games being missed for those trying to prove themselves before the NBA Draft. College football players are no longer having Pro Day workouts for scouts to visit and analyze their skills. College baseball players may have almost their entire season cancelled, only to have the MLB Draft begin right when their season was supposed to actually end.
I feel for every senior who does not know if they have played their last game. That feeling should be honored with Senior Night and the love and affection of their teammates and closest acquaintances, not being told by a media release that their season is cancelled indefinitely.

It's also hard to know what's next when we factor in sports gambling and fantasy sports. Sports betting is never easier with the legality spreading from state-to-state and the easy access to bet online.

The ability to draft yearly teams and also to set a new lineup every day to try to get some dough only has increased the number of participants.
With this hiatus, there are no fantasy sports or daily lineups or lines to bet on and that, in my mind, is the second-craziest part of how the sporting world is impacted.

The biggest impact, to me, is the NBA ticket vendor that suddenly doesn't have a job that had 20 more games to go. It's the peanut vendor who was counting on Opening Day for baseball to bring in their future paychecks and no longer being able to count on that income.

Whether you agree or disagree that these precautions need to be taken or on the severity of COVID-19, there is going to be very little to no scheduled sporting events for the foreseeable future.

That being said, we're in this together and that is what has always made America so great.
Stick together, take care of each other, and take the precautions stated by health professionals as they continue to progress.

Sports are on hiatus, so let's be smart so we can get back to business as soon as possible.