COVID-19 has gained steam and is now altering everyday life. Cities around the world have taken precautions by banning mass gatherings all together or limiting them to 5000 people to help curb the spread of the terrible virus. The response to the virus has created a phenomenon in the sports world that probably hasn’t been seen in a long time, professional sporting events being played in front of empty stadiums. Let’s dive in and see how this impacts the sports industry.
Sports Cancellations Help Stop The Virus Spreading.
The first benefit of the cancellations is pretty obvious. With fewer people in stadiums, the chance of spreading the virus decreases mightily amongst the fans, staff, and athletes. It would make no sense for this not to happen. Large events like business conferences and music festivals have also been canceled.
Diehard sports fans are really committed to their team. They purchase season tickets and attend every game whether there’s a blizzard outside or their sick as a dog. There is no doubt that, canceling these games protects these die-hard fans from others but as well as themselves.
Sports teams travel the world and may play games in cities that are not affected by the virus as bad. It was a decision that had to be made for the safety of the whole. NBA player Ruby Gobert has recently come out that he tested positive for coronavirus. His entire team, as well as the teams he plays against, were notified and forced to be tested.
Athletes Are In It For The Love Of the Game.
With the virus looming, we find out who is still in for the love of the game. Lebron James publicly came out and said he refused to play in front of empty arenas because he plays for the fans.
The San Jose Sharks will be playing several games in an empty stadium. There was no complaining from that camp.
Cristiano Ronaldo from AC Milan played an important soccer game in a stadium of fans dressed up as empty seats. No complaining. The UFC has moved several of its upcoming Fight Night Cards to the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas and will not be attended fans. Several fighters have thanked the UFC for their efforts of not canceling the card.
The Cancellation Might Be Good for the Media Business.
On the business side, this is probably great. Since fans cannot come to the game, they will have to rely on watching on television, online streams, and radio broadcasts. This is perfect because sports leagues and club teams on a local level can now ramp up advertising prices because more eyes will be using media to watch the game. It would be interesting to see if subscriptions to NHL, NBA, and MLB packages will increase. (This is not the case since sports have been canceled.)
But the negatives do outweigh the positives. It is not cost-efficient to play in an empty stadium. The scoreboards and other electronic displays all need electricity so you need money to pay the bill. Stadium staff has to get paid as well. Sports clubs will also lose money on in-stadium merchandise and refreshments.
An Update on the Sports Cancellation
So I wrote the first part of this blog on Monday. Today is Friday and the sports world has been turned upside down. The majority of professional, collegiate, and amateur sports have been postponed or canceled altogether.
I first want to commend the executives and players of the sports league that have to make and are affected by these tough decisions. It is important to consider the health of the fans, players, and staff. Sports is just a game. The faster we all can get on board with corralling this virus, the faster we can get back to enjoying sports again.
I do feel bad for college athletes though especially the seniors. During my senior year of college, I went to practice two days before the East Coast Conference playoffs not knowing that it would be the last time I play a meaningful lacrosse game. I suffered a season-ending injury during that practice. The feeling of not being able to play the game you love ever again competitively stung, but I got through it. For these seniors, it’s going to suck but you’ll get through it. Hopefully, the NCAA will allow you an extra semester of eligibility.
Be sure to read about my other blog piece about the marketing of the Coronavirus here.
