NFL vs COVID-19

By: Jalen Rose

From March 13 till now. The NFL has been making plans on creating an upcoming football season this September. Fans all across Canada and the US, have expressed their opinion on what the potential season could look like. Many have got the chance to talk on news broadcast networks, including ABC 7. Where their perspectives were aired for viewers to witness. 

I got to catch up with a local fan in the GTA where I live. Her name is Elaine Wright. A Financial Manager in the Toronto area. When I interview Elaine if the NFL should strive on having a season this fall. She stated “ football is a live sport that has a lot of touches between players. And of such, there will be contact and it really is left to be seen what happens. How safely can these guys play and still not have the spread of the virus, but as far as I know, they will be doing a daily test before they start each game, after the start games and hopefully that will have to alleviate the transfer of the virus between players. On another level, it’s a whole new world of watching sports and not being able to actually be there on the scene seeing them play and watching them from afar”. 

 

Elaine’s interview was a testament to what many fans think of the upcoming season this year. According to CBSSports, the NFL announced an opt-out deadline for players who currently want to play this season. Since the deadline, there has been a total of 67 players who are not participating. Many players have expressed their statements that consist of spending time with family, taking care of sick relatives, BLM movement, and other factors. Players from all 32 teams will also be given compensation depending on how the COVID-19 pandemic affects them. High-risk players who opted out for medical reasons regarding the virus will reportedly obtain $350,000. As opposed to non- high-risk players who opted out for voluntary reasons will earn $150,000. 

 

Some franchises like the Seattle Seahawks, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens and Green Bay Packers all have announced their invitation for fans at games with reduced seating capacities. Despite everything going on, one thing’s for sure. The NFL’s dealing with a whole new ball game.