COVID-19: Professional Sports

PUBLISHED: 10/08/2020

The pandemic knocked pro sports out of our consciousness when it struck in March. Finishing a season and crowning a champion seemed like a lack of priorities. When we all have to be six feet apart, wear masks, and avoid crowds, it seems a little ridiculous. After all, isn’t it the roar of the crowd what we love?

The only thing more ridiculous is the fact that the NHL awarded Toronto one of the bubble cities, despite the city being only in Stage 2. Yet, the Toronto Blue Jays have to play their regular season in Buffalo because the Immigration Minister felt it was a much bigger risk.

The logic is baffling.

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GUESTS:

Dr. Sumon Chakrabarti - Infectious Diseases Physician at Trillium Health Partners in Mississauga - https://twitter.com/TorontoIDDoc?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Dr. Andrew Morris - Professor of Infectious Diseases at University of Toronto - https://criticalcarecanada.com/speaker/dr-andrew-morris/

Cheri L. Bradish - Professor of Sport Business at Ryerson University - https://www.ryerson.ca/tedrogersschool/bm/programs/marketing-management/cheri-bradish/

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REFERENCES:

https://www.latimes.com/sports/hockey/story/2020-05-22/concept-of-nhl-proposal-to-resume-play-approved-by-nhlpa-coronavirus

https://globalnews.ca/news/7145146/coronavirus-nhl-tentative-agreement/

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/nhl-hub-city-bubble-restart-preview-1.5671319

https://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/feds-approve-nhl-cohort-quarantine-plan-removing-an-obstacle-for-hub-cities-1.4991887

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/2020/05/08/georges-laraque-ex-nhl-star-coronavirus-against-resuming-season/3099501001/

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nhl/news/nhl-bubble-hub-city-rules-teams-schedule-edmonton-toronto/72k8vc0u630k19xalra66xa3c

https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/06/25/editorial-sports/

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2020/07/18/canada-wont-let-blue-jays-play-home-games-in-toronto/

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/blue-jays-can-t-play-home-games-in-toronto-after-federal-government-rejects-plan-1.5029739

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-blue-jays-cant-play-home-games-in-toronto-after-federal-government/

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29488579/blue-jays-not-allowed-play-games-canada

https://torontosun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/traikos-nhl-bubble-could-be-safest-place-to-be-in-canada

https://www.thechronicleherald.ca/sports/simmons-nhl-sold-us-out-canadian-broadcast-worker-says-government-sold-us-out-472930/

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/are-professional-sports-ready-to-resume-play-amid-the-pandemic

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-june-25-2020-1.5626715/nba-s-plan-to-resume-season-is-too-soon-amid-pandemic-says-sports-columnist-1.5627453

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/all/can-sports-return-responsibly-during-covid-19-pandemic-n1232494

https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/coronavirus-sports-leagues-philadelphia-mlb-nba-nfl-nhl-20200708.html

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/analysis/business-of-pro-sports-resumes-571977312.html

https://www.wired.com/story/tech-that-could-help-pro-sports-adapt-to-the-pandemic/

https://www.ohscanada.com/can-pro-sports-make-safe-return-amid-pandemic-experts-say-precautions-needed/

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/coronavirus-sporting-events-affected-outbreak-200310084205890.html

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-does-living-with-the-virus-mean-for-sports/