Importance of Sports

Traditionally, sports have acted as a global unifier. When supporters join together to celebrate, the outcome of a game, race, faith, politics, socioeconomic status and gender are all thrown out the window. With the world in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and people now more than ever feeling more divided with borders closed and stay-at-home mandates in place, sports; its players, celebrities, executives, coaches, leagues, teams and fans; will show again that more is greater than any single individual's cohesive strength.

According to www.nytimes.com, it is estimated that the global value of the sports industry is US$756 billion annually. Consequently, several millions of jobs are at risk globally in the face of COVID-19, not just for sports professionals but also for those in related retail and sports services sectors linked to leagues and events, including:

  • Travel

  • Tourism

  • Infrastructure 

  • Transportation 

  • Catering

  • Media Broadcasting

When attempting to keep fit at home, professional athletes are still under pressure to reschedule their training, and they risk losing professional sponsors who might not help them as originally decided. The cancellation of games often affects many social benefits of global and regional sporting activities, in addition to economic consequences, which can cement social solidarity, contribute to the social and emotional enthusiasm of spectators and to their association with athletes, contributing to greater physical activity of individuals. For a long time, sports has been considered a valuable instrument to encourage contact and create bridges between societies and generations. Through sports, different social groups, especially in divided communities, may play a more central role in social change and growth. Sport is used as a method to build opportunities for learning and to reach sometimes marginal or at-risk communities.

America was taught by the pandemic seasons that learning to cope with coronavirus is as much about psychology and economics as opposed to science. As cases grow again around the nation, the lessons from sports include:

  • Tests are important. In agreeing that further testing was better, and regular testing was best, the professional leagues were unanimous.

  • Act like it's a bubble you're in. What made the bubbles work is the requirement for mutual engagement in safety plans.

  • Pandemic exhaustion is real. If they see a good excuse, whether it's weddings or winning the World Series, people will ignore the rules.

  • Just what you expect are the greatest threats. On-field transmission was initially feared by athletes, but the real risks were off the field.

  • There's a grim financial forecast. The pandemic's economic ramifications would outlast the virus.

Bubble Mentality

In order to finish their seasons, the NBA, Women's National Basketball Association, National Women's Soccer League and Major League Soccer introduced a futuristic idea: the bubble. They created ecosystems that were sealed off from the outside world, where inhabitants agreed to comply with strict laws, including quarantines and regular testing. Once those bubbles have been firmly developed, the number of virus transmissions found between thousands of individuals: zero. The reason the bubbles housed the virus so efficiently was not only because they isolated individuals and restricted outside interaction, but because the policies introduced within them were mutually endorsed. With members of influential players' groups, the bubble organizers negotiated protocols.

In general, the players approved the proposals, complied with the laws and policed each other because they had an economic incentive to cooperate.Vigilance was continuous. Every day is reset to zero," said Cathy Engelbert, WNBA Commissioner, before her league championship." "The protocols or past success do not rest."The bubbles seemed like heaven to some public-health experts. An abundance of tests were available. There was broad adherence to criteria for masks. There were travel restrictions that were easy to track because isolation was important for re-entry. Player cooperation for any required isolation and communication tracing was not in doubt.

People Break Rules

At the climactic moment of the baseball season, Major League Baseball ordered the Dodgers to take Mr.Turner from the lineup after learning he tested positive in the middle of Game 6 of the World Series. Mr. Turner reached isolation when the last outs were secured by his teammates. As soon as his result came in, pulling a player illustrated how zealously MLB wanted to be seen adhering to its strategy. However, as soon as the Dodgers won the championship, Mr. Turner disregarded the protocols of baseball and security officials and hurried to join the party on the field. He hugged teammates and posed for a team shot without masks. “I don’t think there was anyone that was going to stop him,” said Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. The message was straightforward. People won't always obey public-health constraints as temptations occur.

Still More Work To Be Done

The sports and entertainment industry has proved to be resilient in overview. This pandemic has forced both leagues to become more agile, decisively make decisions, and innovate on the basis of the problems they have encountered. As a result, the panelists are optimistic that the sports and entertainment industry can continue to learn and evolve and bounce back stronger than ever in 2021 and 2022, amid this once-in-a-lifetime experience.


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