Throughout the past few weeks, as nations across the world and their various semi-autonomous regions have aimed to reopen the economy, they have also had to consider the reentry process of sports leagues. In the United States, the return of these competitions will be a slow process and with a number of question marks still remaining, return dates are unclear. As Trump continues to push for “liberation”, he drives claims of vanquishing coronavirus, although various health officials and politicians interpret the data otherwise. Despite encouraging signs, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Anthony Fauci, views the information differently. He stated on Tuesday that failure to take adequate precautions could lead to an economic groundhog day in which the nation struggles to get fully up and running. He also notes that to not approach the pandemic with appropriate caution will invite “some suffering and death that could be avoided”. So, what does this mean for American competitions? LA county, the largest in the nation, recently informed the public of it’s plans to extend the stay at home orders, adding a further layer of complexity to the matter. Although Trump’s White House approves of the reemergence of sports leagues, precautions taken by the states and their individual counties make it far more challenging to identify return dates. In Germany, a similar paradox has appeared. After the premier soccer league in Germany, the Bundesliga had its return set for May 16th, a few players from the second division team Dynamo Dresden tested positive for coronavirus. Although the Bundesliga advocates for a quarantine of individuals who were found to have the virus, the states make the final decision. In this case they demanded a 14 day quarantine of the entire team. Despite the scare, Germany’s governing soccer body will continue with the previously decided scheduling of leagues. They’ve only canceled games which fall in Dynamo Dresden’s quarantine period, inviting criticism of the situation’s handling.
1. What health standards must be met in order for professional sports to continue?
2. How should athletes be permitted to function in society in light of their physical contact with others? Should they be allowed to be in public?
3. Is the return of sports a reasonable idea, or should they be delayed until the outbreak is properly contained?
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If professional sports are to start up again in the coming months then organizations should still take the necessary precautions to make sure the layers have not contracted the Corona Virus. Even if they're in in light contact of others, that doesn't mean they shouldn't be able to go in public. There have been multiple protests that are against the lock down, and they are not social distancing, but they are still able to go outside. Some sports have players far away from eachother. Professional tennis has had some exhibition matches between players and the two players are much more than six feet apart, and taking the necessary precautions not to touch the same tennis balls. Some sports like basketball or football require close contact and might be risky if Corona virus is still a big threat in the U.S. The safer option is waiting till the Corona Virus is contained. I feel that it depends on the sport to figure out when it should start back up.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you're saying. As long as athletes can minimize contact, there will be a reduced risk of spreading the disease. I also believe that testing will be a crucial part in the return of sports because it will help health organizations get a better understanding of what precautions must be taken. Sports are huge economic assets and as our society opens I believe that sports should as well.
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ReplyDeleteI don't think that the return of sports is the best idea, I feel that the return should be when the outbreak is completely contained. Many states have lifted the lockdown and in doing so, numerous amounts of new cases have popped up. If sports do decide to start playing again, they must take extreme precautions and not have as many people in the stands. They would be required to have their temp. checked when they come in and when they leave and have all of them wear masks and be 6 feet apart at all times. I don't believe that this will happen anytime soon considering they wouldn't know how to handle the number of people who would want to attend the game.
ReplyDeleteSports should not be allowed to start again until the virus has either been contained or a vaccine has been created. Almost all sports require players to be in close contact with one another which greatly increases the chance of player's catching it from another player. In addition, when exercising, athletes sweat and breath harder. This means that there is a even greater chance of a spread between players. If sports were to start again, I believe that there won't be a crowd or limited seating. If the lockdown is lifted I feel that it is fine for players to be in public because people will get it regardless.
ReplyDeleteI think that if professional sports were to resume, a lot of precautions should be taken, however those precautions may be too limiting for the players while competing. For example, if the players have to wear a face mask while playing, it will become hard to breathe and affect their ability to play. If professional sports were to resume, I doubt many people would attend the games because they might still fear being close to other people in the audience. In the end, I think it would be best to avoid having professional sports resume to avoid the spread of the virus.
ReplyDeleteI think that if professional sports were to start back up again, the players should take mandatory tests in order to compete. I do not think it is the wisest decision to resume professional sports because we are not close to containing the virus nor to finding a vaccine.
ReplyDeleteSporting events are nowhere near safe for the general public nor the players themselves. Entertainment and Sports Programming Network has reported that the NBA has determined the conditions for its return: approximately 15,000 tests administered to players and team personnel. However, this is a vastly unrealistic goal. Multiple healthcare outlets have said that flattening the curve is necessary in order to stay safe and sports are no exception. By limiting exposure to the virus right now, we can help medical facilities and staff that are currently overwhelmed by the influx of cases.
ReplyDeleteI think in order for sports to start up again, I think we woukld need to test them before any practice or game. I also think it should be the same for fans entering the stadium, and any other personnel workers on duty on that day. I think in no way will there be any sports until we come at least close to that. It's sad that there have been so many athletes who have got it, showing is that really nobody is safe.
ReplyDeleteIn order for sports to reasonably be restarted, I think that there needs to be evidence of a significantly slowed, if not stopped spread, and that everyone admitted should be tested for a fever or something similar. Containing this pandemic and preventing as much loss of life as possible should be a top priority.
ReplyDeleteI think that professional sports should not start up again until the virus is better contained or until a cure is found. It puts not only the player's lives at risk, but also their family and other people, which would kind of defeat the whole purpose of being in quarantine. Another option to ensure everyone's safety is to test and monitor all of the players before their practices and games, but there would probably be many flaws in that plan.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is still far too early for professional sports to start up again, as countless businesses, work areas, parks, restaurants, etc. are still mainly closed. In order to safely regulate the games, players and spectators would need to be tested, which would produce a lot of difficulty in ensuring that everyone would be safe. Sports in which players, teammates, or competitors don't stand close to the other such as in golf and tennis may be able to begin recommencing sooner, however team sports including soccer, volleyball, swimming, basketball, etc. will need to hold off for the time being, until the numbers in cases decrease to very few, and more testing or safety measures are available.
ReplyDeleteIt is too early to start playing again, it isn't a valid reason to break quarantine for a game and endanger others. Maybe if the athletes all get tested then they can play but that would be the only reasonable exception.
ReplyDeletei think that returning to sports is not a good idea, it's too early to start again because there will be too much contact with one another.However, if they decide to play again, they should at least get tested although social distancing should be the top priority.
ReplyDeleteI think professional athletes should have to face the same restrictions as everyone else in order to protect the general public. If professional sports were to continue, the athletes would only end up increasing the spread of the virus. I think the return of professional sports should be delayed until after the outbreak is properly contained because that is the safest way to ensure that the outbreak lasts for the shortest period of time possible.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that the return of sports crowds should be returned anytime soon. When the time does come, there should be strict health codes so it prevents people from getting sick. Such as taking everyones temperature and asking if they have had any symptoms in the past few weeks. This can help to reduce the amount of cases and possibly bring back the sports crowd.
ReplyDeleteI think it the coronavirus should be almost gone in the area in order for sports to begin. Either that or they have some special thing that can prevent the spread of the virus. I think they should be allowed if there's no lockdown or shelter in place. As long as there are restrictions, then they should follow those restrictions like everyone else. I would love the return of sports since it would provide entertainment but I also don't want any more unnecessary deaths.
ReplyDeleteI think that sports should not return, as it is to great of a risk to spread the coronavirus. The players should be allowed in public as everyone else with proper social distancing. They should delay the return till the coronavirus has been contained and isn't spreading like it is now.
ReplyDeleteI don't think sports should return just yet because a lot of people still have the virus and it is still spreading around a lot of places. I think they should hold out longer until there are less cases.
ReplyDeleteI think that sports seasons should not resume, as the coronavirus is still spreading. If sport seasons resumed, there would be an incredibly large number of people gathering in one place, and the teams traveling from all over. This would massively increase the rate of the spread of the virus. Because of this, I believe they should resume once the outbreak has been contained.
ReplyDeleteI think it is best that sports seasons should not return as I think that it is still too early since there are still people who are getting the virus. In order for professional sports to continue, I believe it is best that the virus should be more contained and less of a threat. If sports seasons do begin once again, for the safety of the players and others, it would be best that players continuously get tested for the virus so they do not spread it themselves.
ReplyDeleteI think in order for professional sports to continue, there shouldn't be any fans attending sports events until there is an effective vaccine against Covid-19. Plus, there should be social distancing between the players and employee's in the stadiums and temperature's and health checks should be taken regularly. I don't think these players should be allowed in public because it's a great risk even if they are wearing masks and gloves and wash their hands. Covid-19 is known for being easily transmittable and symptoms may not appear for a while. I think for the health of the players as well as the fans and employee's I think it's best to wait until there is a vaccine and the pandemic is contained until we can see professional sports continue.
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