Copy Editor
That was until the end of last week to the beginning of this week. A sudden phenomenon took hold of public life, a virus called COVID-19. The recent deadly strain originated in China and has made its way west, invading Europe, and hitting the Americas fiercely. As the virus spread, government officials realized the absolute necessity to take charge of the situation by limiting large crowds through canceling public gatherings. Suddenly, the virus really hit home and began impacting the everyday lives of Americans.
Not only are places like restaurants and churches being shut down temporarily, but many large sporting events—even whole leagues—are being canceled for fears that people sitting close to each other in the stands may act as breeding grounds for the virus. The highly anticipated March Madness season began the streak of mass cancelations, followed by soccer’s the Premier League, and the recently revamped XFL. Additionally, some towns in America rely on a few events around the year to bring in revenue and tourism. For instance, the St. Petersburg Grand Prix, an annual IndyCar race on Florida’s coast, was canceled, which was expected to bring in $50 million (WTSP) to the greater Tampa Bay area.
The cancellations have extended onto college sports as well, and at the current time, there are virtually no major league sporting events happening that the public follows. Thus, the papers have not been able to fill their sports section pages, since there are no sports to report about! The frightening pandemic of coronavirus has taken what 63% (Gallup polls) Americans believe is their favorite part of life, sports, away from them. Sports bring communities together and are a necessity to satisfy the natural competitive nature of humans. To get back our favorite pastime, listen to government suggestions to limit the spread so that everyday American lives can be restored.
