Will Absence of Sports Make the Heart Grow Fonder?

AP

Without testing, sports simply can’t go on

It’s been 58 days since the last professional sports game was played, and right now more than ever, I strongly feel its absence. 

Maybe it’s because I’ve become used to its constant hum of play in my daily life. Or maybe it’s because there is a lot of negativity out there right now, and sports offer such a positive element in the world. I miss the togetherness that sports bring, the joy that game-day provokes in our hearts, and the hope that maybe this year will, in fact, be the year our team wins it all. But right now all of that is on pause, and diehards across the globe will have to practice patience now more than ever before.  

Players, politicians and league presidents are all trying to figure out a way to get the major sports such as baseball, basketball and hockey up and running again, not only for the economic benefits but also for the hope it will provide our country. President Donald Trump wants sports back knowing that once games start getting played again, Americans will have something to root for besides releasing shelter in place restrictions. Sports leaders have spoken with the White House multiple times to discuss that goal. 

“I don’t want people to get used to this because this virus is going to be gone,” Trump said in a White House coronavirus briefing. “And when it’s gone, you want to get back to normal.”

Unfortunately, this pandemic has taught us that the world can be cruel and unfair, and we may be in this “normal” sports-less state for a while longer. Here’s why. 

The biggest factor here is testing availability. Harvard researchers say the U.S. should be testing at least a half-million people daily, while the White House estimates about 200,000 tests are being administered each day. Sports returning now–even with no fans–would require securing thousands of test kits each week for millionaire pro athletes and support staff, something many view as unfair, especially when ordinary Americans are waiting in line. 

It seems that different leagues across the board understand that making such a decision would be a terrible look for their organization. Some teams were harshly judged for jumping to the front of the testing line when the pandemic began. Learning from this lesson, other leagues want to avoid a similar fate.

“We would have to ensure that testing is widely available and front-line health care workers have access before we begin talking about regular testing in the context of professional sports,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said.

According to Major League Baseball, 3,000 kits would need to be available for players, staff, broadcasters and others for every round of testing to get its season going and keep it going. Even if the NHL and NBA return with just 16 postseason teams each, those leagues would likely require tests for a minimum of 1,000 players and staff. And there’s no telling how often the tests would be required.

With other sports postponing their seasons indefinitely or to a much later date, a major reason why leagues are still creating buzz around possible return dates is to provide hope to American culture. The MLB announced a plan last month to return without fans and isolate its players in different parts of the country for the duration of the season. The NBA plans to open training facilities on May 8 to players in respective regions where the shelter in place orders have decreased, and the NFL is set to release their full 2020 season schedule on May 9. 

All of these possibilities demonstrate that there could be light at the end of the tunnel. But, doctors doubt the reality of these plans, especially without the accessible testing for the entire public, and further, without a vaccine. 

University of Illinois’s emergency response physician Dr. Janet Lin shared her doubts about sports coming back this summer with The Athletic. 

“I think it’s difficult from my perspective as a clinician, when we’re actually still recommending social distancing and really trying to minimize exposure,” said Lin. “Recommending something that is going to essentially increase exposure doesn’t necessarily make sense.” 

These leagues would be seeking to do exactly what doctors are telling everyone else not to do: increasing exposure to the virus by gathering together. Ultimately, their leaders will have to decide if returning to play is worth the potential risks to health and safety of not only the players and their families but to the rest of the nation. 
The Associated Press contributed reporting.