Coronavirus Effect on Sports

3.7.20

2015 at Camden Yards, official game played with no fans

I’m still not sure if I’m paranoid about the Coronavirus, or if I don’t care, it’s just a cold. I mean, 56,000 people die from the flu every year. We’ll learn how to fight it soon, right? I’m definitely not taking any chances, now that it is hitting the US with 17 confirmed deaths so far. It seems as though Coronavirus will have a large effect on many peoples lives, including ours in sports.

The Olympics are supposed to happen this year in Tokyo, but there are many concerns that suggest it may have to be postponed. Qualifying events are already being moved outside of Asian countries, where the virus seems to be the heaviest. And just as rapidly as the virus is spreading, it doesn’t stop just at the Olympics. SXSW has been cancelled for the first time in its thirty-four years of existence. Sony pulls out of gaming conventions due to their concerns. LGPA Women’s tour cancelled part of their tournament, the Africa Basketball League has been postposed, and spots everywhere are discussing, or already beginning to be played without fans.

Just yesterday in Baltimore, an NCAA Tournament game was played in an empty gym at Johns Hopkins University. On top of this, the NBA has sent out memos for teams across the league to prepare to play without fans in their stadiums. Lebron James is not a fan of this idea, and says that he will not play if there are no fans.

"I ain’t playing. I ain’t got the fans in the crowd. That’s who I play for. I play for my teammates. I play for the fans. That’s what it’s all about. If I show up to an arena and there are no fans in there, I ain’t playing. They can do what they want to do."

I can’t say I blame him, it would be strange. But what is worse, playing for no fans, or not playing at all? As the other option would be to cancel or postpone the game. Maybe they would rather postpone the games and be home with their families, I’m sure it wouldn’t effect their pay at all.

In 2015, the Baltimore Orioles had to play an official baseball game without fans. The city was in a tense situation, dealing with the passing of Freddie Gray. Gray was just a regular twenty-five year old, who had been arrested on possession of a knife. He fell into a coma in the police vehicle, and shortly later was pronounced dead. This is a whole different story, but we can say this was a police brutality, doing your job incorrectly, abusing your power, type of situation. So, the city was in uproars, and violence had broken out. This caused the Orioles to have to play their game behind closed doors, in order to protect the staff and security on site, as well as leave the officers to the outside world.

Players felt that the game was tougher to play. You play for the fans, and when they’re not there, you think about everything. Who am I playing for? Why aren’t they hear? What is going on in the outside world right now? Is everyone okay? Is my family okay? I can’t imagine playing in a gigantic stadium in silence. But it’s not a scrimmage, it’s real.

It would be sad for this to happen because of an illness that we currently do not know how to fix. But better safe then sorry.