The Coronavirus has affected the entire country for over the last three months. As the nation has been quarantined during this pandemic, business has suffered. Since the outbreak, more than ten million has been affected by this virus worldwide. With new cases occurring on a daily basis, professional sports seems highly unlikely.
Within the United States, there’s a move by the NBA to reopen its season. With several games and playoff tournament in a fix locations, the NBA is hoping to recoup some of the revenue it lost while giving its fan some hope that the virus will not overshadow the love of the sports. The players will be playing in Orlando later this month in a fixed environment (bubble) while fans will not be in attendance for health risk. The world will be certainly watching how players, coaches, staff and the NBA handle this unique situation.
There has been several talks if the NFL will start the 2020 season on time. According to the commissioner, Roger Goodell, the NFL is on schedule to start the regular season on time and as planned. The NFL kept its schedule with the NFL Draft being virtual. Teams’ OTAs has being virtual as well with many teams holding its classroom via Zoom. Slowly but surely, teams are opening their respective facilities and allowing employees to come back to work. The big question is how will the NFL handle the stadium crowds once the regular season starts.
With the average NFL stadium capacity being more than 50,000 patrons, there’s a real concerns that there may be an increase of the Coronavirus. The NFL is working on a solution to minimize the risk. One proposal is that teams play with no fans in attendance. Another thought is to only allow around 30,000 fans into the stadium. There’s no official word how they will address this issue, but I’m sure Roger Goodell will have a plan.
Bottom line, the Coronavirus is affecting the NFL’s financial bottom line.
