COVID-19 continues to harm our everyday lives. Since March, this disease has caused the stoppage of numerous activities in the sports world. March Madness was one of the major events that had to be cancelled in order to try and keep coronavirus in check. However, sports teams have done their best to allow their seasons to happen—especially the NBA and the NFL. They both have made countless efforts to keep their seasons alive through adjustments made off the courts and fields.
The NBA, after having a break during their season, soon got the season up and running again for playoffs. In order to do so, they created a bubble in Orlando, Florida, where only the players and staff were allowed to be in a confined area. This allowed them to play their playoffs games without having to worry about catching coronavirus, since no outsiders were allowed, and those inside the bubble would have to quarantine for 2 weeks.

“[The NBA] did a good job of keeping the players under control so they could compete for a ring,” said junior Patrick Hartman.
Many fans are also incredibly happy that their teams got the chance to compete and play for their cities.

The NFL has had a much harder job when it comes to squashing COVID-19. It is nearly impossible to make a bubble for the NFL, because that would include all 32 teams, with their 53-man rosters, along with all coaches and staff members. Instead, players experience extra testing before every practice and game day. If there is a case from a team, the team is not allowed to practice until the cases decrease. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has come out to say that any form of breaking the rules can lead to fines and loss of future draft picks.

“I think they are doing a great job adapting to the different situations and new cases by moving the schedule around,” said junior and Steelers fan Riley DiMarco. “Hopefully they can keep this up, because I’m set to win my fantasy [football] championship.”

“Obviously this sport is much more difficult to manage…than the likes of the MLB and NBA because of the more physical nature of the game combined with the inability to implement the “bubble” idea we’ve seen in other sports,” said literature teacher Mr. Patrick Lifka.

Numerous other NFL fans so their favorite team can walk away with the Lombardi Trophy.