Red Sox, Major League Baseball Shut Down

It was only a matter of time. The affects of the coronavirus have hit Major League Baseball, which followed the lead of the National Basketball Association in shutting down play starting immediately with Spring Training games over the next week and a half. That suspension will continue into the first two weeks of the regular season – at least.

The ironic timing of the suspension of the first two weeks of the regular season has the Red Sox now opening the season in Seattle, which has been the country’s hardest hit area by the coronavirus. The Mariners have been baseball’s most active team in reacting to the coronavirus, previously stating that they would not play home games in March. Major League Baseball has now made sure that no one will play any games in March and for an additional ten days, at least, after that.

Realistically, just a two-week regular season suspension seems optimistic. That suspension would take us to April 9th. The Boston Marathon, scheduled to be run on April 20th will probably be suspended until the fall, unless, of course, this Covid-19 takes a very unexpected turn.

While the health and safety of the citizens of our country and the rest of the world is the top priority, this pandemic is having a major economic influence. Watching the downturn of the Dow Jones is depressing to so many. There are thousands worried about what the coronoavirus is doing to their every day lives. Nobody is going to feel too sorry for the rich major leaguers who may miss a paycheck or two, but what about those whose incomes rely on the games played.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is the first to recognize the many hourly-wage people who rely on these professional sports leagues. From arena workers to those who work at nearby eateries, the affect is so wide spread. Shouldn’t these rich sports franchises step up in this time of emergency?

It is an unprecedented time for sports fans. There are simply no games to watch. Even most high schools have shut down their programs as some schools have closed down for a few weeks. Just looking at the crawl across the bottom of the television screen shows almost 50 local schools closed for today, at least. Time for the entire country to rediscover reading a good book.

So what do sports fans, more specifically Red Sox fans, have to look forward to? Well, many Red Sox fans have been fearing what their team would do this year after last month’s trade of Mookie Betts and David Price to the Dodgers. Does the delay of the regular season make that wait more painful? Then again, it’s just sports.

The affects of this pandemic cannot help but make everyone readjust their priorities, at least a little. It’s time to care more for family members and our fellow man while putting our favorite team on the back burner, at least for now.

Red Sox fans will always be passionate for their team. It’s fun, mostly, but it is a game and until that game continues, all sports fans can transfer that passion to dealing with a much more important situation.