Stopping Everything

Over the last month, the world has been without professional sports. The MLB and NFL were both postponed before their seasons began, while the NBA had their season postponed in the middle of a playoff race. March 11 was the last professional sports game in the United States and since then fans have not known what to do with themselves. All of these events are due to the rapid spread of COVID-19. 

Due to COVID-19, all sports fans are now unable to do what they love the most, watch their favorite team compete. The league that is impacted most by this pandemic is the NBA. The NBA had less than 20 games left in their regular season and had multiple teams fighting for playoff spots. Also, this year has been the most competitive season in recent memory. With the last game being played on March 11, the season has been postponed for over a month. The playoffs were set to begin on April 18, but of course did not due to the virus. 

Not only are the fans affected by the NBA being postponed in the middle of their season, but the players and teams are also affected. The players are not receiving their full salaries because the organizations do not have the money to pay them. This is because the organizations are losing money because they are not selling tickets, selling food/drinks, and selling merchandise because no games are being held. Teams have paid the April 1, payroll check to players, but no more checks are set to be paid because of the pandemic. 

Many fans are wondering if NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will resume this season or start a new one when the pandemic is over. Many fans hope that Silver continues this season no matter what due to the fact it is one of the most exciting seasons in years. According to Bleacher Report, “The 2019-20 NBA season is reportedly expected to continue play at some point, even if it causes the start of next season to be delayed.” This is good news for fans, as now they have something to look forward to after the pandemic has passed.

With the NBA postponed in the middle of their season, and the MLB and NFL postponed before their seasons even began, sports fans should expect the players to come out with even more effort than they usually have. Due to the extended time off, players have more time to work out and improve their games, which should make for a very exciting season in all three sports.