Graphic by Sesame Gaetsaloe/The Choate News
Since the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, professional and college athletes alike have been forced to kiss their spring seasons goodbye, frustrating team owners, coaches, fans, and, most importantly, athletes themselves.
The cancellations began on March 11 when Rudy Gobert, center for the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s Utah Jazz, tested positive for the coronavirus. Just days before his diagnosis, Gobert mocked safety precautions taken by those concerned about the virus by touching each microphone and recorder on a press conference stage after finishing an interview. Gobert’s teammate Donovan Mitchel tested positive on March 12. That same night, NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced that the league was suspending all play until further notice.
The shocking announcement set into motion a barrage of sports cancelations. On March 12, the National Hockey League (NHL) suspended its season, and the Major League Baseball (MLB) also delayed the opening of its season. The Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) canceled all of its tournaments for the foreseeable future, and the Kentucky Derby was postponed until September.
The impact on college sports has triggered a wrenching emotional response from athletes and fans alike with the cancellation of March Madness — the last chance for many college seniors to play with their beloved team and make a name for themselves before the NBA draft in May. College basketball players looking to be drafted for next year must now rely on past statistics and conversations with executives and scouts rather than their gameplay. However, there is a silver lining: the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) is now allowing Division I players to return to the 2021 season with the same eligibility as they had in 2020, hopefully giving players another season to grow before they move into professional leagues. With both players who were supposed to graduate in 2020 and recruited freshmen on the same team, college teams will be deeper than ever before. Still, the NCAA didn’t advise universities on how to handle the return of senior athletes. For many colleges, finding the capital to support returning senior scholarship athletes is infeasible, leaving athletes to decide between their sport and crippling debt. Athletic Director at Long Beach State University Mr. Andy Fee said, “In our world, those are dollars we don’t have. I caution people that think [the NCAA]’s going to put Humpty Dumpty back together again.”
The International Olympic Committee announced on March 30 that, for the first time in history, the Summer Olympics, one of the biggest sporting events in the world, would be postponed. This announcement followed months of deliberation, during which time the Committee even considered holding the event in an empty arena. However, athletes and coaches alike believed it irresponsible to not postpone or even cancel the Olympics. Tim Hinchley, CEO of USA Swimming, wrote in a letter to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) that it is “the right and responsible thing to do is to prioritize everyone’s health and safety and appropriately recognize the toll this global pandemic is taking on athletic preparations” The U.S. Track & Field team also joined Hinchley in his request. While no specific dates have been announced, Olympic organizers have stated that the games will be pushed no later than the summer of 2021.
While athletes are disappointed that the Olympics have been postponed, they have also expressed their understanding toward the decision. 2019 world heptathlon champion Katerina Johnson-Thompson responded on Twitter, saying, “As an athlete, it’s heartbreaking news about the Olympics being postponed until 2021, but it’s for all the right reasons and the safety of everyone!”
Kerri Walsh Jennings, five-time U.S. Olympic beach volleyball player, echoed the sentiment: “When you do something on a grand scale, you want to do it right. Give time for the world to heal. I can’t imagine the enthusiasm that’s going to be coming next year, with the whole world coming together to watch this.”
Although athletes, fans, team owners, and coaches will be missing the joy of spring sports competitions, there’s no doubt that the cancellation is necessary to ensure teams will have the safety to compete in the future.
