Coronavirus (that’s the CDC link) is affecting sporting events around the world. Italian sports, like Serie A, are being played to empty stadiums through April 3rd. Several esports events have been cancelled, postponed, or moved entirely online to avoid people physically interacting. The NBA and the NHL aren’t doing anything yet, but they have prepared contingency plans and are encouraging their players to limit contact with fans. The NHL is also concerned about a possible stick shortage because two of the main manufacturers have had factories closed in China.
The FA (England) has dropped pregame handshakes between teams, which seems a bit silly to be honest. Sure, they’re not touching hands to avoid communicating the disease; they’re just playing an entire game where people will be sweaty, bumping into each other, clutching and grabbing each other, sharing water bottles, etc. But good for them for doing something, I guess. Teams have also been advised to start making plans for playing in empty stadiums.
The NCAA Division III men’s basketball tournament just held a game in Baltimore, MD in a fan-less arena. What will the NCAA do for the men’s and women’s Division I tournaments just around the corner? Division I games in Seattle have already been cancelled, and the NCAA has formed a committee to make recommendations.
The International Olympic Committee will have to make a decision on the Summer 2020 games in Japan at some point. All indications from the IOC have been that they want to push forward with the games as scheduled. According to Thomas Bach, the IOC president, the committee will follow the recommendation of the World Health Organization, which he says has not yet mentioned canceling or postponing the Olympics. But the Japanese island of Hokaiddo, where the marathon is scheduled to be held, is currently completely shut down because of the coronavirus. As of March 1st, Japan had the fifth most cases in the world, not including the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which if it were a country, would have more. The games are still four-and-a-half months away, which gives health officials time to get the virus under control, but the clock is ticking.
Not that my completely non-expert, non-medical professional opinion matters, but I think leagues and teams in the U.S. and abroad should be ultra-careful. We have a communal responsibility to protect each other. Even if the virus might not have a high death rate for the main sport-fan demographics, if we continue to spread the virus in the community, we run the risk of transmitting it to the populations for whom it is more problematic. Unfortunately, we have a tendency, especially where sporting events (read: money — from the gate, from T.V., from sponsors) are concerned, to not always get our priorities straight. The primary concern here HAS to be public health.
The chart below comes from a paper from the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; it shows the Spanish Flu death rates per 100,000 in Philadelphia and St. Louis. During the height of the Spanish Flu, St. Louis cancelled public events, but Philly still held a parade.
Yes, modern medicine is much better than it was in 1918 and the diseases are different, but why risk it? Why gather large groups of people for non-essential events and create environments in which the coronavirus can spread?
Fans needs to be smart as well. If you’re not feeling well, even if there isn’t any particular instruction to stay home because of COVID-19, maybe don’t go to the game. It’s a good rule to live by generally, whether there is a budding global health crisis or not — if you might be sick and can afford to stay home, do it. It’s the considerate thing to do. Your community will thank you.
As we’ve heard time and again, we shouldn’t panic. But we also shouldn’t be silly. Nobody, me especially, wants to see sporting events cancelled. For now, it’s probably better to be safe than sorry.
The Lukewarm Take 