COVID-19 and Protests: What to Expect from the 2020 NFL Season

(Source: AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

The first week of the 2020 NFL season has concluded, and it looked like no other from years past. The sports world as a whole has experienced a year different than any before it, between the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the worldwide protests against systemic racism and police brutality. Sports have not only had to adjust their entire way of operating; they have also had to play an important role in calling attention to issues that are being ignored by far too many people. 

The NFL is unique from other sports leagues in both regards. The COVID-19 pandemic is an obstacle that every other sports league has had to navigate around in order to resume games. And while most have been able to do so without many issues, except for the multiple cases on MLB teams, the NFL will face many challenges that other sports leagues have not had to deal with. 

The first of these challenges is the issue of travel. The NBA and NHL set up “bubbles” for games to take place in so players would not have to travel around the country. MLB has not used a bubble but limited travel by having teams play exclusively against division opponents and intraleague opponents in the same geographical area; for example, teams in the NL East division only played against teams in the NL East and AL East. The NFL has not made any such alterations, teams will be flying all over the country to play opponents throughout the season. Not only does this increase the risk of catching and spreading COVID-19, but, according to the Mayo Clinic, air travel makes for an easy way for the virus to spread since it consists of a large number of people in a confined, unfiltered space for a prolonged period of time. 

Dak Prescott (front) and Ezekiell Elliot pre-game for the Dalls Cowboys opener. (Source/Dallas Cowboys Twitter)

There’s also the issue that football is a much more contact heavy sport compared to others. It’s required for players to be right in each other’s faces at the line of scrimmage, something that will be taking place during practices as well as during games. There’s also the general spike in cases during the fall that have been predicted since the pandemic first began; an issue aided by the fact that schools, colleges and universities have reopened, and many have seen a spike in cases. Additionally, some teams are allowing a limited number of fans to attend games, such as the Dallas Cowboys, Kansas Chiefs and Miami Dolphins, to name a few. While this is not as great of a danger as air travel and close contact is for players, it’s an experiment that every other league has decided is not worth testing and certainly poses a risk. 

However, even if the NFL is able to safely navigate COVID-19 there is still a chance we see games get postponed or cancelled for an entirely different reason. We saw players go on strike in the NHL, MLB, WNBA, MLS and most notably the NBA in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake by Kenosha police. The possibility of a strike happening in the NFL is certainly on the table, according to Bleacher Report Saquon Barkley and Sterling Shepard of the New York Giants said shortly after the initial wave of strikes that they would not rule out skipping a game in protest. A strike by NFL players would be immensely powerful, not just because of the sport’s popularity but also due to the fact that the NFL has already been at the forefront of one of the most notable protests against police brutality.

Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem has led to taking a knee to be a gesture synonymous with the Black Lives Matter movement. We have seen other players in other sports take a knee during the national anthem, and we have seen protestors do the same. But despite being a talented quarterback who is more than deserving of a chance to take snaps for an NFL team, Kaepernick has not seen the field since January 1, 2017. It’s glaringly obvious the NFL blackballed him for his gesture, and they have since scrambled to try to make amends, failing to do so outside of half-hearted, performative gestures. Kaepernick’s former teammate Eric Reid also participated in the protest in 2016 and has been outspoken about the NFL’s lack of action in addressing police brutality. By no coincidence, Reid is currently a free agent despite career highs in sacks and tackles last season. 

While commissioner Roger Goodell has since encouraged other teams to sign Kaepernick, that is yet another half-hearted, performative gesture to try and sweep their mistreatment of him under the rug. Kaepernick and Reid both signing with a team and playing this season would be a step in the right direction, but there is clearly a lot of hostility from players when it comes to the league failing to take a strong stance against police brutality. Throw in all of the health risks posed by playing a football season during a global pandemic, no less by a league that has demonstrated it does not care about the safety of its players by evidence of its denial of long-term issues that stem from concussions, and we may see events transpire during this NFL season that we have never seen before. 

Report: Michael Rosen

NHL's Return Would be a Welcome Sight for Sports Fans

The NHL is one of many sports leagues that has put a plan in place to resume a season that was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although we do not have an exact date as to when games will resume, we do know what the postseason layout will look like and it could lead to some very intriguing matchups.

Back on May 26 the NHL announced its plan to conclude the season with a 24-team playoff format in certain hub cities that have yet to be determined. The unconventional postseason bracket will feature eight best-of-5 series in the first round and a round-robin tournament between the top four teams in each conference to determine seeding for the remainder of the playoffs. After that the playoffs will resume as usual with four rounds of best-of-7 series.

The biggest criticism of this format is the uneven seeding that may emerge after the first round. For example, the Toronto Maple Leafs are the No. 8 seed among the 12 teams in the Eastern Conference. However, if it beats the No. 9 seed Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round, it is scheduled to face the No. 1 seed in the following round. This means you could have a situation where a No. 8 seed is playing a No. 1 seed while a No. 12 seed is playing a No. 4 seed. However, there is also the possibility that the team that finished the regular season with the best record in the conference, the Boston Bruins, could be as low as the No. 4 seed.

But NHL playoffs have always been unpredictable with upsets occurring across the board. Just look at last year when every division winner was eliminated in the first round, including the Tampa Bay Lightning who tied the record for wins in a season before being swept by the Blue Jackets who had never won a playoff series. While the seeding may not be fair it certainly does not kill any team’s chances, and there are plenty of teams that have a good chance to hoist the Stanley Cup.

Last year’s finals participants, the Bruins and eventual-champion St. Louis Blues, finished the season with the most and second-most points in the league, respectively, and could be on a collision course for a finals rematch. The aforementioned Lightning are hoping to redeem its playoff failures from last year with a championship, and the Maple Leafs, who have spent a ton of money in hopes of ending its 67-year cup drought, are looking to win its first playoff series since 2004 after a disappointing regular season. But there are also teams like the Philadelphia Flyers who were red hot just before the season was postponed.

As with every sports league, there is no telling how well teams will play following this delay. But seeing any of the 24 teams lift the cup would be a welcome sight after all we’ve been through this year. Even if it’s lifted in an empty arena.

Photos courtesy of Flickr users Kaz Andrew and Laurie Rivera.

Report: Michael Rosen

NBA's Return Brings Many Questions, But A Lot of Excitement

Basketball fans will finally have something other than “The Last Dance” and old, predetermined games to keep them entertained. The league’s board of governors and player’s union agreed to a deal in which 22 teams will resume playing on July 31 at Walt Disney World's ESPN Wide World of Sports complex. There will be an eight-game conclusion for the regular season followed by a possible play-in tournament for the lower seeds before playoffs begin. Any teams within four games of the No. 8 seed by the end of the regular season will have a chance to make the playoffs via the play-in tournament, and playoffs will maintain the regular structure with four rounds of best-of-seven series.

How well teams will get back into the routine of playing is anyone’s guess. This is an unprecedented format and could lead to some huge upsets and playoff matchups we did not think we would see this season. Without question the teams who did well before the season was postponed have the most pressure on them.

The Milwaukee Bucks, who had the best record before the postponement, have superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo under contract for only one more year following the conclusion of this season. Their window might be closing fast and letting an opportunity like this slip away could be devastating.

This might be LeBron James’ final legitimate run at another championship, and another title for the Los Angeles Lakers would be sweet after some uncharacteristically embarrassing moments over the last few years from one of the league’s premier franchises.

Los Angeles’ other team, the Clippers, were just starting to play at full strength and hit its stride once the pandemic hit. The Clippers were only 5.5 games behind the Lakers and looked poised to make a run at the team’s first championship, with a possible all-Staples Center playoff series along the way. This is a golden opportunity for the Clippers to capture the city’s attention and stop playing second fiddle, even if it comes under some extraordinary circumstances.

These extraordinary circumstances will no doubt tarnish the validity of this season’s champion, especially if a team like the Washington Wizards or Sacramento Kings, who did not hold a playoff position at the time of the postponement, scrap out a run to the finals. That’s a shame if a team like the Bucks or Clippers, who have waited forever for a title, not only have to celebrate that title in front of an empty arena but the validity of it is then questioned for years to come.

There are still some kinks to work out, such as possible expanded rosters due to the fact that players can refuse to participate without punishment, and nothing is certain in the COVID-19 era. But there’s reason for NBA fans to be optimistic, and we will likely be able to watch basketball much sooner rather than later.

Photos courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Report: Michael Rosen