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Just five days ago on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020, the New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton tested positive for COVID-19. The Patriots played the Chiefs that Monday night. After the game another player, Stephon Gilmore tested positive. With this second player testing positive, the team had to shut down their facility to test everyone.
COVID-19 Titans Facility Closed
Keep in mind that the Tennesee Titans a week prior had to shut their facilities down because they have 22 players and staff that have tested positive. Game start times and dates have been shuffled around to meet network marketing.
CBS had to redistribute other games to the market left vacant by the postponed Titans-Steelers matchup. 16% of the country was slated to that game. The NFL has not been the only sports genre that has been affected by this virus.
Other Sports Effected
The Summer Olympics, typically one the world’s most-watched sporting broadcasts, has been pushed back a year. MLB Preseason from March 12 canceled. The regular MLB season due to start on March 26, postponed. NBA games from March 11 suspended. Boxing’s Shakur Stevenson vs. Miguel Marriaga for Stevenson’s WBO featherweight title in New York on March 14, postponed. Can you imagine the economic devastation these postponement and cancelations caused?
For college athletic programs that have seniors looking to enter the 2021 draft, their entire season has been placed on hold and their lifelong goal to become a professional in their field has an indefinite hole. Universities all over the nation were closed down because of COVID-19. Track teams, women and men basketball, and baseball practices canceled. This was devastating.
The Big 10 and Pac 12
The Big Ten and Pac-12 along with several other Division 1 conferences have canceled fall sports. The NCAA also postponed fall championships, though it has no power over the College Football Playoff, which remains in limbo as the SEC, AAC, ACC, and Big 12 attempt to play in the fall.
Annually, the sporting world rakes in close to $160 Billion. The three main income streams for sports leagues are Broadcasting, Commercials, and match Day Revenue. The broadcasting income stream consists of sales of media rights. Commercials are those sponsorship and advertising partnerships that pay for commercial space during sporting events. The Match Day Revenue consists of tickets sales and concession sales on the day of the match or event.
The Entertainment industry is synonymous with professional sports leagues. Like the various entertainment genres, sports have their own identities, employees, and fan bases. It has been said about both industries is that the more visual your team or product is, the more valuable it is.
All of the major sports are reliant on the broadcasting income. This provides team owners with capital to invest in stadium renovations, updated equipment, and better overall playing conditions for the club and the players.
My Opinion
So as you can see, the COVID-19 virus has handicapped not only professional sports, but college and high school sporting programs as well. The NFL and the various protocols that have been put in place during this pandemic has other sporting franchises watching. If the NFL is successful in getting through their season with little or no cases of the virus, those protocols will be duplicated with the hope of keeping sports and entertainment alive and well in the country.
I believe that the NFL and its COVID-19 protocols have been very effective. More people now are beginning to believe and understand the importance and value of wearing a mask when in public. Hopefully, this message and examples of hard-headed athletes will change the thinking of hard-headed average Americans to be safe and wear your mask.
Written by Omari Jahi
Sources:
World Economic Forum: This is how COVID-19 is affecting the world of sports, Stefan Hall
AdWeek: NFL Postpones First Football Game Due to Covid-19, JASON LYNCH
The New York Times Sports: The Financial Blow of the Coronavirus on Sports, Matthew Futterman, Kevin Draper, Ken Belson, and Alan Blinder
ESPN: List of sporting events canceled because of the coronavirus, ESPN News Services
Sports Illustrated: How the Coronavirus Impacts College Football’s Spring Schedule, ROSS DELLENGER
The New York Post: Big Ten’s coronavirus problem has an ‘alarming’ heart issue side effect, Zach Braziller
Feature and Top Image Courtesy of International Labour Organization ILO’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
First Inset Image Courtesy of Brook Ward’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Second Inset Image Courtesy of Thomas Cizauskas’ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Third Inset image Courtesy of Michael Li’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Fourth Inset Image Courtesy of TransportationFan’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
