The coronavirus pandemic has greatly affected all springtime sports, and some NFL fans would feel fortunate that the pandemic is not (at least yet) altering their season. They may think that America’s most popular league should be able to play as scheduled.
However, the current medical situation may affect the NFL more than you expect. The pandemic can easily spread during mass gatherings like NFL games, and it’s in everyone’s best interests that the league would delay some events if it meant keeping everyone safe during the pandemic.
Obviously, some events would have to either be delayed, canceled, or modified in the interest of public health. This piece will list events in the NFL calendar that will definitely be affected by the coronavirus.
The 2020 NFL Draft
The 2020 Draft is set to happen from April 23-25, 2020. However, it’s going to be hard to convince fans and Paradise, Nevada officials to allow thousands of football fans from all over the country to convene in the city and possibly infect people with COVID-19.
There are multiple ways the league can approach this problem. The most obvious solution is to push through with the draft, but ban any live event from happening. Making the fans watch the draft from home will be a strange experience for everyone.
The alternative would be to move the draft to a later date so that the worst has come to pass. There’s no doubt that the country will still be reeling from the coronavirus by late April, so it will be good if they allow the situation to stabilize.
Preseason games
After spending more than six months without football, fans will definitely be starved to see NFL action. While the XFL provided some entertaining highlights, the pandemic cut their season short. The fans would be longing to see high-level football being played by the start of the season.
While fans are looking forward to seeing some great football being played, it’s very likely that teams and local governments will be extra careful with letting crowds gather in the aftermath of the coronavirus.
It’s very likely that the league will also make changes about preseason attendances as August closes. It’s also likely that these preseason games will be played behind closed doors if the coronavirus pandemic hasn’t been sorted out by the time the preseason kicks off.
Las Vegas Raiders’ opening season
The Raiders may run into a bit of bad luck in their opening year in Sin City if the coronavirus pandemic isn’t sorted out by September. The Silver and Black moved to their new home this season, and they were hoping to use this season as a springboard to generate a loyal following from the state.
However, the coronavirus douses on their plans. It may be hard to get fans to come out while the state is dealing with at least 21 cases at the moment. Until the federal state manages to contain the deadly virus, expect some fans to think twice about going to Allegiant Stadium.
Every NFL game
Almost every state in the country is affected by the coronavirus. Local governments are doing everything they can to prevent the disease from spreading to the rest of the state. This means that they may put a clamp on NFL games if the problem isn’t mitigated by then.
It wouldn’t be surprising if some heavily affected states ban fans from flocking NFL stadiums during this time. Watching NFL teams play behind closed doors may become more common this season than some may like.
The Super Bowl
It sounds ridiculous since the Super Bowl wouldn’t happen until February 2021, but the coronavirus will have an immeasurable impact on American society. Even if they manage to come up with a vaccine to combat the virus, it’s going to completely change how Americans gather at sporting events.
Expect the coming Super Bowl to show some of the repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic. People will definitely be more careful around others by the time the top teams of the AFC and NFC battle for the Lombardi trophy.
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