As 2020 comes to a close, many describe this past year as a “complete failure”. The cancellation of March Madness, the postponement of the NBA Championship, MLB World Series, and other major events led many to believe that the sports industry would collapse as a whole. However, by surviving the pandemic up to this point, it has been proven that there is nearly nothing that can stop sports from being played.
Despite losing nearly $13 billion in Covid losses, per ESPN, the major sports leagues (MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA, MLS) have proven that they are more than resilient. The lost money was only a small portion of what these leagues had to suffer, but now that they have reached the end of 2020, it can only get better from here.
Kinnelon junior Dean Carhart is an avid sports fan and understands the importance of 2021 to the sports world. “It still feels weird watching sports games with the arenas and stadiums being completely empty. Hopefully, fans can be back this summer,” Carhart says.
That is the key, fans. Many sports teams are notorious for their fans, and without them, they are simply playing in an empty dome, quiet enough to hear a penny drop.
To tighten the scope on sports, high school sports have also been a heavy topic of discussion, especially for athletes of New Jersey. Gov. Phil Murphy has been very fluid with his “return to play” deadlines, which leaves many athletes wondering whether they will actually have a season.
However, Murphy recently set a final date for his “return to play” 2020-2021 spring season. This plan includes the resumption of competition to start as early as January 4th, and as late as April 19th.
Kinnelon sophomore Christian Larusso is predominantly a spring athlete, and eager to return to competition that has been delayed for nearly a year. “I have been working in the offseason, and trying to prepare for a season. It is hard to predict what will happen, I just hope I get a chance to play,” Larusso said.
It is clear that sports have been the hot topic of discussion under all scopes. Whether it is a professional sport or a high school sport, fans and athletes alike are starving for a relatively “normal” sports season, and won’t settle for anything less.
