Wednesday, March 11, 9:31 PM- The NBA suspends the 2019-20 season “until further notice.” The first of many professional sports organizations to shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the NBA lead the charge as the first major sport to close its doors for the season. After the NBA announced the shutdown, sports fans saw their favorite teams’ games canceled, seasons ended, and unfortunate scenarios for some of their favorite players who contracted COVID. On May 9, UFC 249, doors were finally back open, and a crowd of about 50 people gathered at Vystar stadium in Jacksonville to commence what would be the new norm for professional sports around the world. From then on, you’d only be able to see half a person’s face, fist bump, and keep six feet of distance between you and the people next to you. But, the sports world has definitely bounced back from this tough predicament that Covid placed upon it and has been persevered as of late.

When the UFC decided to open its doors, it didn’t realize the magnitude of its impact on the rest of the sports world. Not only was the UFC the first organization to open its doors for athletes, but it was also the first to open doors for its fans. UFC 257, in Abu Dhabi, had about 2,000 fans in attendance, the largest live gate in a sporting event in over 8 months. After the move to open its doors for the fighters, the NBA put on one of the most successful productions ever- the bubble. The NBA was not the only organization to create a bubble but was certainly the most successful. 22 teams, 6 weeks, Disney world (no, they were not there to ride the roller coasters). An eventual Heat versus Lakers final matchup saw Lebron facing his former team, which had the entire world watching. Moy Sutton said, “when there was nothing else to do, the bubble was the best possible thing for sport fans.” The next year saw the entire sports world bring fans back, deal with its players getting COVID, and adapt to the new norm that they would need to accept.  

So, 18 months later, it’s safe to say that the sports world has definitely bounced back from Covid. Instead of worrying about getting a positive case and having to cancel or postpone the season, these organizations have found ways to implement a long-term strategy that allows for them to remain open for now and hopefully for the future. Although the sports world has done well, as COVID showed us, the world is unpredictable and the sports world has definitely felt the effects of this unpredictability. As fans, let’s cross our fingers and hope that we never need to deal with another “the seasons are suspended until further notice.”