Can the NFL keep this Season Going
This has been a wild year in the sports world and NFL has now come face to face with the trials of running a season during the Covid-19 pandemic. It started with the Tennessee Titans who were forced to reschedule their game with the Pittsburgh Steelers due to positive test. Then the Patriots were forced to play without Cam Newton due to him being diagnosed with the virus. Games have been moved and players have been forced to sit out but show is still going on for right now.
The NFL and College Football have both taken the stance that baseball took and kept the train moving but how long can it last. Its one thing for a college team to play without any tight ends but what happens in the quarterback room gets taken down? With players having positive test that have come back negative to the ones that have been forced to sit out the league is being forced to answer a lot of questions. What are the protocols and are they being followed? Should the league explore a bubble concept?
The Bubble is out of the question for the NFL just because the way that practices are set up and the size of the organizations makes it a logistical nightmare. The question remains what are teams going to do if these situations keep happening? The Falcons, Patriots, Colts, and Vikings have all had to shutdown the facilities due to multiple positive tests. These teams will encounter other teams in a full contact sport, not knowing what the exposure rate is on either side.
The NFL getting this right has high stakes not just for them. The other leagues are watching because this is an indicator on how this may be going forward. The Bubble concept was a nice but not sustainable for a whole season. So, the NBA and NHL will have to come back and figure out how this is going to look. Can the players be trusted to travel? Can you trust all the people who the players, coaches and staff interact with outside the facilities? The NFL was able to get it started but can they keep it going?
Written By
Keith B. Holt
Follow on Twitter @Kholtjr