The 2020 sports calendar was disrupted beyond all recognition by the ongoing events. And this is not an effect observed in North America alone: sports were brought to a halt all over the world, and even major events like the soccer European Championship and the Summer Olympics had to be postponed for next year.
People stuck in their homes with little more than watching reruns of past events and playing sports-themed games at 7Sultans Casino are eagerly awaiting the news about live sports finding their way back to broadcast channels. Depending on the sports they enjoy, some of them heard good news recently – others, not so much.
Soccer
Major League Soccer has extended the postponement of its season at least until June 8 due to the public health crisis ongoing in the US. The league remains confident that it can still play out the entire season, even if this means pushing back the MLS Cup to December or later.
Soccer fans, in turn, have some good news to be happy about: Germany’s Bundesliga, one of the most-followed national soccer leagues in Europe, has resumed last month, and other national leagues like the English Premier League, Spain’s La Liga, and Italy’s Serie A, are expected to follow suit this month.
The matches look and feel different, though – the fans don’t have access to the stadiums, the players and officials have to observe strict social distancing and safety measures, and they are even banned from celebrating by hugging or shaking hands, a tradition in European soccer.
Baseball
There is no official confirmation from the MLB, only rumors leaked by sources close to the matter… but it seems that the return-to-play proposal of Major League Baseball is ready. Apparently, the Major League Baseball Players Association proposes a 114-game season and the potential for players to opt-out of the season in case of health-related concerns. Originally, the MLB proposed a season consisting of 82 games.
According to the same source, the 2020 MLB season could start on June 30 and last until October 31.
Tennis
For tennis, the lack of live audiences means a major dip in their revenues – they rely much more on ticket sales than other sports. Still, the games are set to resume as planned later in the year.
The US Open has its fate hanging by the thread of the public health situation in New York. The French Open was rescheduled recently for late September – early October, and the WTA Tour is expected to resume in mid-July.
Wimbledon, in turn, was not so lucky – The Championship was canceled this year, and will only return in 2021.
There are so many things to cast us down right now. The resumption of live sports broadcasts will finally be a step in the direction of normality – something we sorely need.