The Progress of Orlando’s Sporting World - COVID 19

Orlando: The Progress of Orlando’s Sporting World Since COVID-19 Hit

No one can argue that Orlando, Florida, doesn’t have one of the best cultures for sports in the States. Home to teams competing in Major League Soccer, the NBA, the Florida State League of Baseball, the Women’s Football Alliance and much more, Orlando has been a center for sports for a long time. The NBA hosted the 1992 All-Star game at the Orlando Arena, then again in 2012 at the Amway Center. The Bounce House football stadium at the University of Central Florida has regularly hosted NCAA games, being the home field of the UCF Knights. Orlando had the opportunity to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup, and in 2018 the Orlando Anarchy football team won the WFA Division 3 National Championship. Since the effects of COVID-19 began taking hold, there are still a number of codes that are not overly disrupted by social distancing measures such as auto racing, tennis, and golf, to name a few. However, due to the risk posed by large gatherings and crowds, sports that have continued to carry on have been forced to switch to eSports channels. Many athletes have used their time in isolation as an opportunity to connect with fans through online platforms, a much-needed experience for fans who are now relegated to spectating online. The most at-risk codes are those in which athletes cannot easily socially distance, such as with baseball and basketball. For amateur athletes, the pandemic has partially if not completely halted funding for athletes training for athletics, and there are fears that this could have long-term effects on producing future competitors in the Olympics and other athletics competitions. And without the revenue that used to come from normal game-days, many lower-tiered sport clubs and businesses may fall into insolvency if they cannot secure other ways of generating revenue. Worse yet, like the major league games, some Orlando high school football games have been forced to cancel and there is pressure to postpone competitions after Evans Highschool’s football team had 5 players test positive for the virus. On a brighter note, the NBA and MLB have invested a lot of resources and have partnered with researchers to launch numerous studies on COVID-19 and have developed effective health and safety protocols for players, staff, and the general public. An example of a possible way for the future of sport, Disneyworld Orlando became the location of the NBA “bubble”, with 22 out of the 30 NBA teams staying in the isolation zone for the end of the 2019-2020 season that ended on the 13th of October, as well as for the following 2020 playoffs.

The NBA Bubble & the Virtual Fan Experience

“I believe the sports industry is doing the best they can to adjust to the current environment. We’re finding that leagues like the NBA and NHL did the best planning by creating their “bubbles,” while the NFL and MLB will face more challenges on a day-to-day basis because of the travel involved.” said Michael Brodsky - President of WSA Business Board “While I certainly would have preferred to watch the Magic playoff game live and in person at Amway Center, I have to admit that the virtual fan experience was as good as it could be, considering I was just watching the game alone on my computer at home. The screen made it look like the fans were all watching the game together, and what folks at home may not have realized was that in the fourth quarter, after the Magic had fallen far behind the Bucks, our ticket rep was conducting a trivia contest for us that helped add an extra element of fun, and probably kept folks in their virtual seats longer than they would have stayed otherwise.”

Unfortunately, after seeing the damage that the pandemic has done to the sporting industry state-side and throughout the USA, the end of 2020 and a large portion of 2021 will more than likely look the same as today’s status quo. Largely empty stadiums, social distancing, using PPE combined with other health and safety protocols will continue to be the norm, and even then, we can expect interruptions and more cancelled games due to illness and quarantine measures. Although these are trying times for the entire sporting industry of Orlando, the shining light provided by the NBA and MLS isolation bubbles give great examples for sustaining the industry without sacrificing the health of the athletes.

Michael Brodsky Mike Brodsky is a Financial Advisor, Author, and Speaker “Incremental Improvements: Change Your Life One Small Step At A Time” www.incrementalimprovements.com, www.WorldSportsAlumni.com

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