On Mar. 1, 2020 the world of sports was going about its business like normal with little to no concern for the looming threat that was over their heads. Over the next couple of weeks a small number of players came out with reports of having the virus but the fans, players and owners showed little concern. 

The world of sports was not immune though as just eleven days into the month of March the NBA canceled its season abruptly. Soon after sports leagues all around the world were completely shut down and the world went into quarantine. 

When talking to Carson Brite, a UNA SGA Vice President and avid sports fan, he said, “It was such a surprise. It all happened so fast and made the virus seem like such an overwhelming force that I immediately took to following COVID-19 guidelines.” Carson’s experience speaks for many sports fans in March. It all happened so quickly that it shocked the country into taking notice of the dangers of the virus. 

Over the next several months fans would have to sit at home without the thing that unified them to their communities and other fans. For example, after the attack on the World Trade Center in New York on Sept. 11, 2001 the city was able to rally around Yankees baseball to help get the city through the pain of what had happened. Due to the nature of the coronavirus however this could not happen for a while. 

“It was so boring.” Carson said, “I had nothing to do. Usually, I would spend my summer watching the NBA playoffs and waiting for college football to start, but this year I had to sit at home with nothing new happening. Sports is an always changing narrative except this year there was only one.” 

Many teams and players tried their best to reach out to their fan bases to spread safety tips and give support but the escapism that is offered by sports was not present. 

However, sports fans did not have to wait too long for their sports to come back as over the month of July many leagues restarted play and are currently playing including the NBA, NHL, and MLB. 

When speaking to UNA student Kyle Turner he said, “I’m just happy to have sports back. I missed watching the Flyers and 76ers play and I was ready to start watching sports again. I would say that I am a big sports fan. I’m usually watching something sports related anytime my TV is on, so not having it was a struggle.”

Overall the return of sports could not  have come at a better time as it has given a massive platform to the Black Lives Matter movement in a time of crucial social change. A platform that couldn’t have been used if sports were not currently being played. 

Sports will not return fully for a while though as currently fans are not allowed at any sporting events, and while the NFL is looking into social distancing by allowing a small capacity of fans it is really up to the individual teams and governing bodies of their respective cities that will determine the fan capacity limits. Outside of professional sports it is even less familiar as many colleges are playing conference only schedules, shortened seasons and in many cases are not playing a season at all. 

Ultimately the return of sports is great for fans and players alike because it allows for communities to unite, speak up and support each other during the trying times in life, but the sports world will not return to normalcy until a vaccine is created to stop the pandemic as it just currently is not safe otherwise.