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9 Apr 2020
Let’s face it, the year 2020 has gotten off to a rough start. As everyone knows, the COVID-19 virus has brought on a global pandemic that has claimed thousands of lives, crashed economies, and changed everyday life for everyone in the world. The sports and live entertainment industries are some of the many industries that have been heavily affected by this virus. To prevent the spread, venues have been left empty, as seasons have been put on hold and major events have been cancelled.
In March, we saw a different type of madness, as the NCAA cancelled the March Madness basketball tournament for the first time since 1938. That same day came the postponement of the 2020 NBA season, as a handful of players began to test positive for COVID-19. Like dominoes, other leagues began to shut down as the NHL, MLB, MLS, and other major leagues around the world closed their doors to fans. With no end in sight, leagues have yet to set a date to resume play and many major summer events like the Tokyo Olympics, the UEFA Euro 2020 soccer tournament and Wimbledon were either postponed or cancelled.
These are unprecedented times, and it’s hard to forecast the immediate and long-lasting effects this pandemic will have on the world of live events. The NBA and NHL hope to resume in June to complete their seasons, while the MLB and MLS currently believe they can makeup games to prevent shortened seasons. The projections on when this virus will subside vary. Will it be necessary to cancel or postpone football? Hopefully not, but only time will tell.
Regardless of when stadiums and arenas open back up to large crowds, there will be some ramifications. Upon lifting restrictions, it’s hard to say whether venues will become immediately flooded with crowds or not. There may be paranoia surrounding large gatherings with people opting to watch from home. Yet, we could see the opposite happening with people itching to get back into public spaces after being quarantined for months, turning celebratory high fives and handshakes in to elbow bumps. According to an article from the LA Times, David Carter, a professor at the USC Marshall School of Business who specializes in the sports business, believes fans will flock back to the games they love when play resumes, as a long hiatus will create pent-up demand for their return.
Whatever happens when this is all over, eventually the world will return to normal and this will always be a time we can look back on to appreciate some things we may have taken for granted.