A New Reality in The Sports World

How things were

Many children grow up playing sports, and their teammates become family. Sports are a huge part of Canadian culture, and going to practice every week, having scrapped knees, packing up cut up oranges and Gatorade bottles in the trunk have all become a part of family traditions. Not only was sports a huge part of childhood, but it was also a part of everyone’s adulthood. There was nothing like going to a hockey game at an arena with a huge group of friends. People would bring their jerseys out of the back of their closets, wrap scarves around their necks and gloves on their hands, all with their favourite teams’ logo on them. They would walk into the arena and the chill radiating off the ice rink would hit their faces and turn their noses read. Getting to order beer and snacks, wear foam fingers, do the wave with the rest of the crowd and stand up from your seat to scream whenever your team scored. That was what was so great about the sports community before the pandemic hit, that even if you were never a part of the team personally, it was times like these that would make people feel like they still belonged to a team. Complete strangers could bond over their love for hockey or football at a bar and become friends and people would gather online while watching the game from their homes to interact with others watching. Who would have known that something as simple as being able to watch a hockey game with your friends was being taken for granted? 

How things changed

As Covid-19 began to threaten more and more lives, the world of sports was rightfully put on hold and players were put on the sidelines for months. Sports fans and players were understandably not happy about the situation as it changed the reality of their lives. Players were no longer able to practice for extensive hours every day, and the fans had nothing to look forward to watch for the coming weeks. It seems unlikely that teams will be able to go back to practice anytime soon. Expecting that players will stay six feet apart during practice and games is unrealistic, but teams are hopeful they can take this opportunity to focus on the fundamentals of the sport with each individual player. No more signing autographs, taking pictures with fans or pre-match handshakes. Even NBA’s LeBron James claims fans and players can expect that he will not be “high-fiving nobody for the rest of his life after this.” Fans and players should expect major changes to happen in the near future as there are no guarantees that Covid-19 will be leaving us anytime soon. It is important for families with young children in sports teams to understand the risks of allowing their kids to play again at this time and be ready to enforce guidelines and boundaries between the players and coaches. Sports that require shared equipment that will be in close contact with every player, like a football, poses higher risks than a lone sport like cross-country. As long as social distancing and general cleanliness is being met, health officials and the community agree and people understand the risk that might come with it – sports will be returning soon but with some interesting changes.

How things will be

 Smaller league teams are accepting that a comeback is not in the cards for them, but the professional teams are being bold enough to start staging and preparing for a resurrection. It won’t be easy, and players must be prepared to meet regulations and restrictions. Teams will have a create a safe and exclusive space for team members to practice and also make sure that they stay isolated from anyone outside of their team’s bubble. In order to avoid getting infected or infecting others, protocols will be established where players will be required to be routinely screened for Covid-19 and will be expected to self-isolate if necessary. There will be no direct contact on the ice or other fields with designated entrances for players and other personnel. During games, there will be minimum personnel allowed along with the players to avoid breaking the inside-outside dynamic and bubble that team creates. Dr. Isaac Bogoch of the University of Toronto has publicly said that there should be no problem with professional sport leagues to begin congregating and practicing again as long as proper guidelines and protocols are met and approved by health officials and the community.

Professional sports league is unfortunately looking at major business risks with the decision to bring back the games when the fans are not allowed into the arenas yet. Tickets, merchandise, parking and food were a major part of the revenue. There are still no secure and safe way to have fans in arenas, even with social distancing in place, without risking the players health as well. However, fans are still excited and looking forward to being able to support some of their favourite teams through their television screen. That seemed to ring true when hockey season picked back up in July and August. Even though a summer season of hockey was not something anyone was expecting, it surely did not hold the fans back from tuning in. It gave fans something to look forward to and something to cheer for. That was a great way to keep the spirits bright during such hard times in the world, and it allowed the players to continue doing what they love as well.

As long as everyone’s health and safety continue to be a priority, there’s no reason why sports should be put on hold. Conditions may not improve for the world anytime soon, but we can all use something to make the days a little brighter and to bring family and friends together again, in small groups and safely.

https://www.nhl.com/

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