Sports is an integral part of the culture of this country, but it has not just taken a back seat, but had to ride in the trunk of what’s going on in this country with the COVID-19 pandemic being front and center.
Still, as time moves on and the nation and world grapple with how best to come out of an almost complete shutdown of the economy and life outside the home, many want sports to be next. To many, the return of sports will be be a sign that things are turning the corner.
Now this. According to an ESPN poll, fans overwhelming support the return of sports on television, rather than having to wait for the ability of fans to be in attendance.
The ESPN Coronavirus Lockdown Fan Study surveyed 1,004 sports fans aged 18 or older, and 65% were in favor of sports returning even if fans can’t be in the stands. That approval number grew to 76% when participants were asked if they support the return of sports without fans in the stands if players were kept in hotels and their contact with others was closely monitored.
We could go out on a limb here and suggest many of you feel the same, especially when it comes to college football. Many professional leagues have entertained the idea of resuming their games without fans in attendance, but we’ve yet to see a full plan to get it done.
Big Ten extends ban on organized team activities https://t.co/S7kSiL9epO
— Buckeyes Wire (@BuckeyesWire) May 4, 2020
For many though, not having Ohio State football in the fall would be a depressing and eerie feeling. So far, the conference and university have taken a wait and see approach but are currently in suspension of all organized team activities through June 1.
How and when things are in a good place to come out of all of that remains to be seen, and we likely won’t know until the coronavirus tells us as much.
For now, all we can do is hope and pray for the best, and for everyone to remain safe. Everything else from there is a bowl full of Buckeye candies.