It's not over yet. But if the NFL season must come to a sudden halt, it was good while it lasted. COVID-19 is still in full swing, and it's now once again affecting the sports world—more particularly the NFL.
With multiple headlining games now postponed, the time to point fingers feels inevitable. Yet, more importantly, the time may have come for the NFL front office to regroup in order to save the season. The 2020 calendar year is nearing its end and entering the fall season. According to multiple medical experts, Americans should begin bracing for a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases in the fall heading into the winter.
Though not as important as one's health, this timeline collides with the NFL season. By November, teams will begin getting into the make or break games that'll decide the routes for the remainder of their seasons. Waiting until the pandemic reaches its pinnacle while the NFL season is in its climax wouldn't be the wisest decision for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and company.
Yes, the NFL should adopt a stricter bubble system. Quite frankly, there should've been one set in place long before the season began. Allowing teams to have basically full leverage of roaming outside of games is simply a health risk that the league can't afford. Health protocols on the field were safely implemented by the league, though many coaches have gotten away lately with lowering their masks when speaking to other coaches, players, or officials.
The closest model to replicate should be that of the NBA. The excitement hasn't necessarily equated to the glory days of fans being in attendance in the arenas earlier this year. Game 1 of the NBA Finals in fact was the lowest viewed finals game since 1994. That without a doubt is in correlation with the bubble.
Yet, there have been positives. There have been no reported positive cases of COVID-19 that have occurred in the bubble since the NBA resumed play in Orlando back in July. The players, coaches, and team staff have been allowed to move freely about the bubble in Walt Disney World, allowing them most of the amenities such as golfing, swimming, and spending quality time with families as of the late.
While many players have shared their fair bouts of mental hurdles after being in the bubble for over two months, the decision has been one that many haven't regretted. The number of meetings and policies that'll have to be put in place would be a tiring effort, but the crash collision the NFL is on will amount to a horrible conclusion.
The scheduling would more than likely have to be reworked to strictly in-division games with certain exceptions. As such, teams with the best records would then proceed to the playoffs in respected conferences before an eventual Super Bowl matchup; that is to say that a possible cure and administering of it doesn't slow down and eventually shatter the entire spread of COVID.
The NFL is at least in the early stages of being able to bolt down a spreading issue that could eventually cause the canceling of the season. Currently, the Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots, and New Orleans Saints have reported positive cases. The likes of quarterback Cam Newton along with fullback Michael Burton are amongst those to be named that have tested positive. With only three teams showing positive test results, the league has had to shift games to later dates and skip over bye weeks in some circumstances.
That solution could find itself on a more dangerous scale if the NFL doesn't find a safer way to allow football to continue.
Follow Us
Subscribe