As were currently in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, our daily lives have changed in just about every aspect. One of the industries that is being forced to change due to the virus is sports. Just about every sporting event has been canceled or postponed due to the virus, ranging from the NBA, whose season has been suspended for the foreseeable future, to the MLB, whose opening day was pushed back two months. As the cancellations/postponements for spring sports are indefinite, fall sports are still up in the air and could be impacted by the Coronavirus.

Kirk Herbstreit, ESPN College Football announcer and analyst said Friday “I’ll be shocked if we have NFL Football this fall, if we have College Football. I’ll be so surprised if that happens.” This was a major wake up call for many football fans as the season is looming, with the virus showing no signs of stopping anytime soon. This also comes after earlier this week the Tokyo 2020 Olympics were postponed to Summer 2021.
Herbstreit followed by saying, “Just because from what I understand, people that I listen to, you’re 12 to 18 months from a [Coronavirus] vaccine. I don’t know how you let these guys go into locker rooms and let stadiums be filled up and how you can play ball. I just don’t know how you can do it with the optics of it”

Herbstreit’s comments are agreed to by many and also discouraged to by many. His comments show how uncertain times are and as we don’t know how long the virus will remain a threat. The NCAA has put down a temporary recruiting ban for visits and person to person contact, along with banning all spring football activities, cutting out months of practice time for the season. The NFL has currently closed all franchises but the league is moving forward with the NFL Draft in April and free agent trade is still occurring throughout the league. The future of these fall sports remains unknown, as does how long the Coronavirus will last. As we’re in a period of uncertainty, we can look ahead to the future and return of sports eventually.