Coronavirus vs. Sports
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Zion Dendy, Staff Writer
COVID-19, better known as the coronavirus, has nearly brought the world of sports and sport lovers to its knees. With the cancellation of the NBA season on March 11th, fans of the NBA experienced something never seen before. Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus following his travels to Oklahoma City and shortly after teammate Donovan Mitchell announced he had also tested positive for the virus.
With virus outbreaks growing in numbers across the United states, both the MLB and NHL were forced to bring their seasons to a standstill with the NCAA following suit shortly after. Athletes across the nation almost immediately took to social media to voice their concerns about the coronavirus and how it had affected them and their seasons with the most torn group being college seniors who had seen their final seasons brought to an abrupt end.
The NCAA quickly found itself facing much backlash for cancelling many young athletes’ final seasons. In hopes of correcting the wrongs of the coronavirus, the NCAA released a statement announcing that senior student athletes would be granted a one-year extension to their NCAA eligibility entitled the “corona year”. Despite the corona year announcement, upcoming pro draft days are still scheduled to take place, without fans of course.
While in quarantine, many pro athletes and sportscasters have posted updates on social media urging sport fans to stay home and wash their hands as frequently as possible. These athletes using their platform to express the dangers of the coronavirus have personally seen he effects of the virus firsthand. Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart took to Instagram to release a statement admitting to testing positive to the virus and later updated fans that he felt he was making a full recovery.
The effects of the coronavirus have been felt worldwide. Japan and the International Olympic Committee decided it would be best to postpone the Olympic games until July 2021. This news came as a relief to many corona infested countries as they allocate all their resources into finding ways of defense against the airborne pathogen.
The Spanish league, La Liga, also cancelled their season indefinitely until the Spanish government deems it safe for sporting events to continue. All European soccer leagues followed suite shortly after releasing statements explaining how all season play will be canceled till at least April 30th.
With the Coronavirus taking over the world of sports as we know it, fans are forced to remain patient and await the return of sports. No one knows when athletes will be able to play their respective sports again but many hope that day will come soon.
