When Will Sports Return After Coronavirus?

Perhaps this is a little overly “glass half-full” considering the world we now live in but as bleak as things may appear to look right now, there will inevitably be a day when life resumes and sports return. Though that day may seem far away right now, when it happens, the sports viewing public will be in for several of the greatest months of live sports viewing that the world has ever seen. Leagues and events that would never ordinarily overlap will be happening in rapid succession: baseball, the NBA playoffs, the NHL playoffs, horse racing’s Triple Crown, tennis’ three summer grand-slams, all of golf’s majors, and everything in between happening within weeks if not days of each other.

In the interest and spirit of hope, let’s take a look at what that might look like:

MLB:

According to various reports, as Major League Baseball and the MLBPA are hopeful that they will resume spring training at some point in late May and begin to play games as early as June. This news comes on the heels of the two sides reaching an agreement as to salaries and service time in what will inevitably be a shortened season.

Best Case Scenario: early June start

NHL:

The NHL remains steadfast in its commitment to resume the season at some point and in the wake of the decision to postpone the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, the “powers that be” see an opportunity now that there is a void in live sports programming during that time to finish out the season and then finish out the playoffs in the Fall. The league remains resolute in its determination to play a full 82-game season in 2020-21 but it’s anyone’s guess as to when that will eventually start.

Best Case Scenario: July

NBA:

The NBA unwittingly provided the inflection point for the coronavirus pandemic, signaling to those Americans who took the dangers of the virus lightly as Utah Jazz Center, Rudy Goebert testing positive on March 11 set off a rapid sequence of events that resulted in all major professional sports and the NCAA basketball tournament being postponed or cancelled. Adam Silver was the first commissioner to opt for what some may have considered the “nuclear option” by indefinitely postponing the season. Since then, a number of high-profile players including Kevin Durant and Marcus Smart have tested positive for COVID-19. While Silver and Co. are keeping their collective cards close to the chest on this one, but the rumored goal is be able to finish The Finals by Labor Day Weekend, which would require a July 1st re-start date at the latest.

Best Case Scenario: July

Tennis Majors:

The French Open, which is normally begins play in late May around Memorial Day weekend an culminates in early June, already pushed back the tournament to September 20, which would put it right after the U.S. Open, which is usually the final major of the year. As for the other majors, we will know the fate of Wimbledon this week but given its June 29 start date, it could be scheduled at just the right time when things will begin to get back to normal. However, given that they have until the end of August before worrying about butting up against the U.S. Open, they might consider pushing the start date back several weeks in hopes of playing the tournament. The U.S. Open on the other hand, got thrust into an interesting position by the French Tennis Federation’s decision to move the French Open as the USTA has said that it is now considering pushing back its start date to October.

Golf Majors:

With The Masters and PGA Championship already postponed and the U.S. Open set to follow suit, there is not much clarity as to where and when these tournaments will be played or if The Open Championship (The British Open) will be played at all. The Masters has practical concerns as Augusta, Georgia gets way too hot in the summer months to play championship golf and there are rumors that Augusta National is shooting for the Fall, specifically mid-October. The U.S. Open, which is scheduled to take place in June at Winged Foot in Westchester County, effectively “ground zero” for coronavirus cases in New York is almost certainly going to be moved to another time if not another locale. It would make some sense if the British Open was the first one out the shoot with the U.S. Open and PGA Championships settling into a place and time once that first rescheduled major falls into place.

Horse Racing Triple Crown:

The Kentucky Derby was the first and most important domino to fall, as they made the decision to reschedule from their early May date to Sept 5, the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend. As for the other two legs of the vaunted “Triple Crown,” The Maryland Jockey Club and the New York Racing Association, are each working to find dates for the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, respectively. In a perfect world, they would be able to replicate the normal cadence of the Kentucky Derby representing the first leg of the Triple Crown and the Preakness and Belmont to take place over the following two and three weeks, respectively.

The Takeaway:

Though it seems like a distant hope, sports will return, fans will slowly but surely come back to the ballpark and life will resume – we’re not sure when but it’s closer than it seems.



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