Is MLB Going To Be The Measuring Stick Of Sports In 2020?
There is so much up in the air with coronavirus still. When will people be able to really go back to work? Will kids be going back to school? What will happen with sports?
There are no answers yet.
But people have begun dipping their toes in the water a little bit. Some have started back to work. School districts are frantically trying to come up with plans for what they will do with their school year with very little research on what could happen. Even in the world of sports they are trying to make safe progress.
Some sports such as minor league baseball have cancelled their season altogether. The NBA is planning on starting games soon essentially in a bubble. They've got a little village set up in Orlando where almost no one is being let in or out to avoid any contact with people who are infected (although even that is being challenged and it's shown a failure already)
Major League Baseball is trying to go about it differently. Canada said they didn't want teams travelling there to play which is why the Blue Jays are scheduled to play in Buffalo. Otherwise, for the most part, teams will be travelling to stadiums across the country and trying to play games.
The question is, how will what happens to their season affect what happens for other sports like hockey and football. If it goes well, will football proceed full speed ahead? If it doesn't will we lose a season of football and hockey too? Is baseball acting as the guinea pig for all the other seasons?
Already, baseball is seeing challenges. For instance teams like the Miami Marlins are seeing a breakout of players (and coaches) who have tested positive. This means cancelling games on an already abbreviated season. How will they fit all the games in?
One thing that seems pretty obvious is that even in small doses, it is important to test everyone that is that clubhouse or on the field often as new people are still being infected daily.