Four months into the COVID-19 pandemic, we've seen in this country alone nearly four million confirmed cases and around 140,000 deaths, with no end in sight if you believe scientific and medical authorities (and some of you don't).
There is also a rising tide of support for Black Lives Matter and questioning the role of sports in society following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others at the hands (and knees) of police officers. Taking a knee during the "Star Spangled Banner" is in vogue once again. Leagues will have names of victims of police violence on players' uniforms, and "Black Lives Matter" splashed across fields and basketball courts.
Despite all this, sports is getting back on the field. The question is, should they?
Golf tournaments, auto racing, horse racing and the men's and women's soccer leagues are already under way, though without fans in the stands.
Major League Baseball and the WNBA are beginning their truncated schedules this weekend, The NBA and NHL will resume their schedules the following weekend, choosing to conduct their playoffs within the confines of Walt Disney World and the Canadian hub cities of Toronto and Edmonton, in that order.
The NFL is determined to have a season, even if it means pushing the Super Bowl to Easter Sunday. The league has already agreed with their players association that, in exchange for tests for players' safety, there would not be a preseason.
College sports is also in flux. Most of the Power Five conferences have opted for a conference-only schedule for fall sports including football. The smaller schools, unable to afford the NCAA's generous plan to test players, have decided to either delay their seasons to spring or cancel them altogether.
Because no fans will be allowed to watch the proceedings in person, what sports there are will strictly be a TV show to fulfill existing network contracts. It will look and sound fake, with piped-in crowd noise, virtual advertising and commentators calling the action from the safety of their studios.
There's also a renewed effort to do away with racist sports nicknames, something we thought we'd never see due to resistance from team owners and their fan bases. The Washington Redskins are (at least for) now the Washington Football Team. The Cleveland Indians are also considering a name change, having gotten rid of Chief Wahoo earlier. Canadian football's Edmionton team are no longer the Eskimoes. But the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Blackhawks and Kansas City Chiefs are sticking with their nicknames. Unless, that is, their sponsors start pulling out.
But all this may be rendered moot if there's an outbreak of coronavirus among players inside their bubbles, or if someone dies from it. Then we face a long, cold fall and winter without sports.
So is it wise and safe to play sports during a pandemic, and with so much social unrest going on? We don't know. But millions of dollars in television money and keeping players safe will be spent to find out if it was all worth it.
UPDATE (8/1/2020): One week into the shortened Major League Baseball season, three teams--the Miami Marlins, Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals--have had to cancel games because their players have tested positive for COVID-19.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has reportedly told the players association that if the situation doesn't improve soon, he may be forced to cancel the season. A season that never should have started in the first place.
