The Sports World Takes Blows from the Coronavirus Pandemic

As the World Health Organization declares the COVID-19 virus a global pandemic, together with the stock market crash and the oil price wars between countries, the sports world is receiving enormous blows, as whole seasons of the industry are suspended.

Some football clubs and leagues have agreed to stop spectators attending matches; others have brought the number down to a minimum stating that no more than 1000 fans can enter a stadium. Many in the sports world is struggling and agreeing on some serious desperate decisions, such as dropping whole seasons of competitions.

Before the tipoff between Oklahoma Thunder and the Phoenix Suns, mayhem was brought to the court as one of the star players, Rudy Gobert, tested positive for Coronavirus. The NBA issued the following statement, following the cancelation of the game.

“The NBA is suspending gameplay following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice,” the league said in an official statement. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine the next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”

If the NBA suspends the season, the loss of the league would amount to a billion dollars, if not more.   

“Wiping out one-fifth of the season would mean a loss of $500 million. The tab could approach $1 billion when you factor in make-goods on sponsorship packages and TV rights deals. Cancellation of the playoffs would push the loss higher,” writes Forbes magazine.

The National Hockey League published its own statement yesterday trailing the NBA’s decision to suspend the whole season, stating: “The NHL is continuing to consult with medical experts and is evaluating the options. We expect to have a further update tomorrow.”

Football and Basketball club Real Madrid have gone into quarantine after one of their players tested positive for the coronavirus. all activity at the club’s Valdebebas training ground has been suspended with immediate effect. The decision came at the same time as La Liga publicized that it will suspend the competition for at least 14 days and next week’s Champions League match with Manchester City is also now expected to be canceled.

There have not been any definite cases of coronavirus among Madrid’s footballers, but the club took the decision to close the whole training ground after a basketball player was confirmed to be positive. The two different sports clubs of the same city share the same training facilities, along with the entire youth team which is set up at the club.

By B.Alexishvili