(Newswire.net — May 6, 2020) — Let’s imagine for a moment that the National Football League opens on time in September. Stay-at-home orders are lifted, and stadiums are packed nationwide. The home team wins!
But, days later, tracing apparatus belonging to Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reveal that the stadium nearest you is Ground Zero, the scene for another pandemic that’s going to cost many lives.
Who’s liable, in this scenario?
New Ground
If you thought that the legal wrangling that got fans settlements because of cancelled games or venues unable to seat them was something, consider what the NFL would face if the gates are opened to spectators this season and the worst-case-scenario becomes a reality.
Even with health warnings in place, the League wears its liability on its sleeve, in the form of its reputation.
Possible Contingency Plans
Dr Anthony Fauci, one of President Trump’s Coronavirus Task Force team members, is endorsing a philosophy that can be linked to one of the NFL’s possible plans as revealed during a recent Snapchat show. He suggested housing college Football players in hotels, testing them as frequently as necessary to ensure they are COVID-19-free and letting them play the season out for as long as the players remain so.
The other plan is being referred to as Studio Football, and sees games being played in NFL stadiums with no one present. This option has worked out wonderfully for betting nz fans since remote participation is the name of the game.
And then there’s the option to play a truncated season, maybe one consisting of 12 matches, or 14 games, rather than the regular 16-event slate. But would that take into account that California, for example, home of the 49ers, the current NFC champions as well as the Chargers and the Rams, and its laws prohibiting large gatherings? Because Florida allows these.
Players Don’t Agree
Interestingly, Kirk Cousins, quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, said that it would be refreshing to play matches without any spectators present but in the typical stadium environment of the NFL. But LeBron James, megastar of the National Basketball Association, expressed the polar opposite of that opinion, saying that he doesn’t want to play without fans.
Cousins’ point, to be fair, is that players will be able to adapt to a fan-free environment if that’s what needs to be done. It’ll be like a regular practice session but with much higher stakes.
A TV Sport
For many years now the NFL has been considered a television sport, with over 90% of fans having never physically attended a game. Factors contributing to this rather strange fact include traffic issues, the soaring costs of tickets, and the overall convenience. Replays at your local bar are just as good, if not better, as the ones in your living room!
The truth is, NFL101, this year, and the season after the NFL100 campaign that paid its respects to the rich history and traditions of the game, with even leather helmets getting a nod, we will get an idea of what the League will look like going forward.