32 Coronavirus Resource Guide
Generation Boomer // GenerationBoomerMagazine.com
The Return of Sports... Months after the coronavirus pandemic shut down American sports, the games are returning. MLB, NBA, and NHL have begun, with the NFL season just a month away! Their restarts have broad similarities. All of the professional leagues decided to sharply restrict or outright ban fans from attending, focusing instead on the television audience at home. They also will all be repeatedly testing players and staff for COVID-19 throughout the season. They most sharply diverge in where the games will be held. Generally, sports with smaller roster sizes (NBA, NHL) are playing in “bubbles,” isolated from the outside community, while sports with larger rosters (NFL, MLB) are playing at their regular stadiums and traveling between cities. Here’s where each league stands in its attempt to get back.
MLB (Baseball)
Jays, the league’s only Canadian team, will play in Buffalo because the Canadian government did not approve its plan to continually cross country lines. Commissioner Rob Manfred said Monday that holding the season in a “bubble” would not have worked because MLB has large teams and wants to hold a 60-game season. Rules Changes: National League will use a designated hitter, and extra innings now begin with a runner automatically on second. Rosters have been expanded to account for possible infections, and the playoffs have been expanded to 16 teams. Highfives and hugs are discouraged and spitting, that that beloved baseball pastime, is banned.
NFL (Football)
When: The National Football League begins its season at its normal time, in the second week of September. All preseason games are canceled.
When: Major League Baseball began its season on July 23, months after its usual April start. The plan is to play a 60-game season leading into an expanded playoffs from September 29 to the end of October.
Where: Games will be held at teams’ regular stadiums around the country. It’s not clear yet how fans will be allowed to atend.
Where: Games will be held at teams’ regular stadiums, with no fans in attendance. The Toronto Blue
Rules Changes: Overall, the NFL has not changed much. Locker rooms have been reconfigured to accommodate social distancing, and players will be
