A reflection on how COVID has impacted sports, and how that has impacted all of us.
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By this point, receiving news about the concerning rise in cases, listening to complaints over government incompetency, and being barraged by half-hearted efforts to enforce restrictions are the equivalent of beating a dead horse. Over the past two years, this pandemic has managed to leave no part of life unaffected, whether we realize it or not. Historically, communities and individuals have come together in times of hardship to collectively overcome an obstacle, whether it is war, prejudice, or a virus. Sports are able to overcome these daunting challenges, since it is evident from how. the NFL season has managed to bring a divided America together. In fact, sports are so vital to society that even the UN has declared them a human right.
In 2020, almost all sporting events at every level were postponed or cancelled for the first time in modern history; this includes the Olympics and Paralympics. The pandemic caused the biggest disruption to global sporting events since WWII. Late last year, however, they managed to make a resurgence. The NBA returned to a full season since 2019, the Canadian government made exceptions for both MLB and MLS teams on home soil, and the NFL even increased the number of games in a season. We witnessed Canadians make history in Tokyo and we can expect the same to happen in Beijing. Despite a new wave of cases worldwide, sports from F1 to badminton are proceeding as normal. Though this may be considered unsafe and foolish, I feel like there is a case to be made for sporting seasons to continue.
Athletes are role models since they are held in high regard, especially by young kids. Consider the public outrage when star quarterback Aaron Rodgers revealed he was unvaccinated after leading the public to believe otherwise. During these unprecedented times, athletes can send the right message and urge people to do the right thing to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Athletes play a critical role because they have a tremendous platform to attract attention. Most of them called upon their vast financial resources for the greater good; for example, NBA players donated a combined $5.5 million to support pandemic relief back in 2020. Additionally, sports provided much-needed entertainment amidst monotonous day-to-day life which was droll at best.
The pandemic affected our physical activity on a personal level too. In an already sedentary age, restrictions made us even more desk-bound. For those who enjoyed staying active, their basic instinct had to be subdued for too long. You couldn’t play on a team, play a game one-on-one with a friend, or even watch a game with a friend. Intramurals provided a much-needed respite and it is quite unfortunate that they have been closed again. The common belief that “sports unite everyone” may be cliché, but it still holds true for all of us. When the weather was more cooperative, I remember how I was throwing a football around with a friend in the school parking lot. Before long, we had a game between fifteen students from all grades. We even ended up hitting a car or two, and no one has yet snitched. The highlight though, was when an older substitute teacher showed up and started absolutely slinging it. It seemed like it was a little return for him to his high school glory days.
Go figure.
By Adi Adi
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