Monthly Archives: July 2020

NBA Hits 0 COVID Cases Ahead of Restart

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Source: Statista

On Thursday, July 30, the NBA season will restart in Orlando after shutting down early in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. The New Orleans Pelicans will face the Utah Jazz before the two Los Angeles team – the Clippers and the Lakers – showcase what may be an early glimpse at a Western Conference Finals series. The restart could serve as a model for reopening sports nationwide, as so far, the quarantined area of Disney World where the teams are staying has proven to halt the spread of the virus.

A day before, the NBA announced a total of zero positive COVID-19 cases out of 344 tests conducted as of July 27. Players, coaches and staff began their months-long journey in the Disney World bubble on July 10, where they must remain until they’ve been eliminated from playoff contention. Apart from a few violations of the strict quarantine rules, the vast majority of team personnel have abided by the rules and have set themselves up for a successful season restart of basketball.

The first cases of NBA players contracting COVID-19 became public in early March, and the NBA quickly suspended their season on March 11. While some players who’ve tested positive were released publicly, others remained private ahead of players entering the bubble on July 10. Overall, there were 16 active cases of COVID-19 in late June. After weeks of consistent testing and quarantining, that number went down to zero by July 20, and the NBA hopes to keep it there as they move forward with the season.

Fans Have Warmed to a Crowdless Return of Sports

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Source: Statista

America’s favorite pastime is back. Major League Baseball returned on Thursday for a shortened season after the regular 2020 season, which was scheduled to begin on March 26, had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The MLB is the first major sports league in the U.S. to return to regular season play, after Major League Soccer kicked things off with the “MLS is Back Tournament” before the regular season resumes in August. The NBA is set to resume the 2019/2020 season on July 30, while the NFL season is scheduled to begin in September.

At this point it goes without saying that all league games will be played without spectators for the time being, an idea that sports fans seem to have warmed to as the pandemic dragged on. When Morning Consult asked fans about a possible crowdless return of pro sports in early April, 70 percent of American sports fans said they’d prefer to wait until its safe to attend games again. By late May, that percentage had dropped to 38 percent, while those saying leagues should return asap in empty venues rose from 16 to 41 percent. More than four months into the pandemic, the proposition of crowdless sports looks increasingly attractive, especially when the alternative is no sports at all in 2020.

Europe’s major soccer leagues have already successfully returned to play without fans at the stadiums. While the German Bundesliga has already finished its season without any hiccups, the English Premier League and Spain’s La Liga are set to conclude their seasons this weekend.