The long awaited return of sports is right around the corner, with some major leagues already starting back up. The Bundesliga (the German soccer league) and UFC held events in empty venues on May 16, and will continue throughout the remainder of their season/schedule. Organizations around the world are making preparations for the return of sports while trying to stay mindful of the circumstances.

  California Governor Gavin Newsom, Texas Governor Greg Abbot, and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that sports may return when they are ready. Newsom announced, “We may see a return as soon as the first week of July.” Abbot has already greenlit the return, but leagues need time to sort out the logistics and possibilities for when the return does happen (espn.com).

   The NBA and MLB have both targeted a July return, but there may be some huge changes. The MLB is planning to play half of their season, 82 games, in the modified time frame. Due to the unique situations that vary from state to state, when the NBA does make a comeback, all games may be played in the same location. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has spoken about the possibility that games will be played in only Las Vegas or Orlando, “Our goal is to bring the NBA back as quickly and as safely as possible, in trying to accomplish that, we are exploring every option available to us.” A major key in the return of sports is patience; if everything is brought back too soon and there is a spike in cases there would be an even longer hiatus. Silver continued, “We have many difficult decisions to make; we will have to wait and see what opportunities present themselves.” (bleacherreport.com).

   The NFL is taking COVID-19 safety a step further. Engineers are developing N95 surgical masks which will be incorporated into the facemasks already worn by players. As we approach the day that all leagues resume play, we can expect to see more innovations designed to stop the spread of the disease. The NBA is restricting the amount of players allowed to be in the training facility at one time. Changes are occurring across the sports landscape all in the hopes that we can return to normalcy.

   Fans around the world are eager for sports to resume. Junior Wesley Clarkson shared, “At this point in quarantine, I’m ready to watch just about any sport that comes on the TV. I can’t wait for everything to go back to normal so I can watch sports like I used to.” Sophomore Nico Villalobos added, “All this time away from sports has really made me appreciate what we have. I will never take sports for granted again, because I realize how quickly they can be taken.”