COVID RESOURCE

The Return of Sports... 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) 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, with no fans in attendance. The Toronto Blue 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.

Where: Games will be held at teams’ regular stadiums around the country. It’s not clear yet how fans will be allowed to atend.

Rules Changes: Overall, the NFL has not changed much. Locker rooms have been reconfigured to accommodate social distancing, and players will be

tested before arriving to training cramp and then consistently throughout the season. Up to 80 players will be allowed in the team building at a time.

NBA (Basketball) When: After shutting down in March, the NBA’s season resumed July 31, leading into the playoffs from August 17 to October.

Where: All of the games will be played in a bubble at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida. Players will live, practice and play within the bubble. Fans are not allowed to attend in person, but can attend virtually online.

Rules Changes: Only 22 teams will be returning to play. Each team will play eight regular season games before the playoff seedings begin. The NBA also added a potential play-in tournament for the 8th and final seed, but the playoffs will continue as normal.

Current Status: On track. At the restart of the NBA season there have been no positive COVID-19 test results from the 346 players tested since July 13.

WNBA (Basketball) When: The WNBA began its season on Saturday July 25, and plans to hold a 22-game season followed by a regular playoff format.

Where: All of the games are being held in a bubble at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. No fans are in attendance.

Rules Changes: Players were required to quarantine before entering the bubble and will be tested throughout the season. Otherwise, the rules are as usual.

Current Status: The season successfully began on Saturday and no players within the bubble have yet tested positive for coronavirus since then.

The “Bubble” and Virtual Fans Having basketball fans attend NBA games amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic was never going to work. Allowing spectators to enter the league’s campus would defeat the entire purpose of constructing a “bubble” environment. But the NBA has created an opportunity for fans to still score great seats as teams battle for playoff positioning.

During the NBA’s 2020 season restart, virtual fans will be featured around the court, including behind the benches of their favorite squads. The NBA is utilizing Microsoft Teams’ new “Together Mode” to put fans on 17-foot-tall LED screens.

34 Generation Boomer // GenerationBoomerMagazine.com Coronavirus Resource Guide NHL (Hockey) When: After shutting down in March, the National Hockey League restarted its season on Saturday Aug 1st, leading into an expanded playoffs.

Where: The games will take place in separate “hubs” in Canada, away from the public. The Eastern Conference teams will play in Toronto, while the Western Conference teams will play in Edmonton. The Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Finals will all take place in Edmonton.

Rules Changes: The top four teams in each conference will play a “round-robin” series to decide playoff seeding starting August 2. The 16 other teams will play in a “qualifying round” starting August 1 to decide who makes the playoffs. From there, the first round of the playoffs begins August 11 and lasts through October 4 at the latest.

Current Status: On track. The NHL said that, thus far, there were no positive Covid-19 tests among the 4,256 tests given to more than 800 players from July 18-25.

PGA (Golf) When and Where: The PGA Tour canceled a number of golf tournaments in March and April, but restarted its season in June and is gearing up for its majors. The PGA Championship will be held August 6-9 in San Francisco, the US Open will be held September 17-20 in Mamaroneck, New York and The Masters will be held November 12-15 in Augusta, Georgia. Rules Changes: Players and caddies are subject to testing throughout a tournament week. Because of that testing, international players are now allowed to arrive to the US and compete in tournaments without quarantining, the PGA Tour said.

Current Status: Several golfers have tested positive for coronavirus since it resumed in June, but the sport’s individual nature and outdoor setting have so far prevented a widespread outbreak among players or staff.

Tennis When: Tennis restarts its season with The US Open, one of tennis’s biggest events, starting August 31.

Where: The US Open for men and women will be held in New York at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. It will be immediately preceded by the Western & Southern Open at the same site.

Rules Changes: Fans will not be allowed on site. The men’s and women’s doubles events will be smaller, with 32 teams rather than 64.

MLS (Soccer) When: Major League Soccer returned with its “MLS is Back” tournament on July 8, and the 16-team knockout tournament began July 25, and continues until the championship match on August 11.

Where: All of the games are being held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

Rule Changes: All teams traveled to Orlando and were tested after arriving, and will continue to be tested throughout the remainder of the tournament. Team members on the bench are required to wear masks and social distance, and players are asked not to exchange jerseys with other players or kiss the ball.