Sports fans are desperate for the return of on-field and on-court action, and nearly two months after most major leagues shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, we’re starting to see some momentum towards a widespread resumption of play. Several leagues have already announced a restart date, and the UFC – one of the last leagues to hold a live event on March 14th in Brazil – is only days away from staging a pay-per-view event.
First, let’s start with the leagues that already have a definite return plan in place, before moving on to leagues that are still considering their options.
UFC
UFC will return this weekend with a loaded UFC 249 pay-per-view card, the first in a series of UFC events that will be held in Jacksonville, Florida in an empty arena. Following UFC 249 on Saturday, May 9th, the organization will stage cards on May 13th and May 16th.
NASCAR
NASCAR is reportedly “99 percent done” with a revised schedule for the rest of the year, but has already committed to running four races over the next 20 days, starting with a Cup Series race at Darlington on May 17th. The return race will be followed up with another race at Darlington on Wednesday, May 20th, and then two races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, including the Coca Cola 600 on May 24th.
Golf
The PGA Tour is scheduled to resume play on June 11th with the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Texas. According to the Tour, the first four events on the schedule will be held without fans, and the organization will monitor the situation as it develops. The first major on the calendar is the PGA Championship, set for August 6-9 at TPC Harding Park, followed by the U.S. Open (Sept. 14-20), the Ryder Cup (Sept. 21-27), and the Masters (Nov. 9-15). The Open Championship has been called off for 2020.
Soccer
The Bundesliga will return in Germany later this month, which could pave the way for other European leagues to restart. In the United States, four MLS teams started training on Wednesday, but no return date has been set by the league.
Formula 1
A revised 2020 calendar was released by F1, and the season is scheduled to start with the Austrian Grand Prix on July 5th. The season will begin with five races in Europe before a swing to Asia. So far, several venues have already announced that the races will be held without fans.
WWE
WWE never paused due to the coronavirus, and instead shifted production to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, where it staged WrestleMania 36 last month. On Sunday, WWE will air its Money In The Bank pay-per-view, which will be shot at WWE headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut.
NFL
According to a report from ESPN, the NFL sent a memo to teams on Wednesday detailing a plan to reopen facilities. According to the report, some staffers may be able to return to facilities as early as May 15th, but it is not yet clear when players could return. The 2020 NFL schedule will be released on May 7th.
NBA
NBA teams will be allowed to reopen facilities for players to take part in voluntary workouts in some areas on May 8th. ESPN reported that the NBA will hold a an all-players call on Friday for players to have the opportunity to voice concerns.
MLB
According to ESPN, MLB is working on a return-to-play proposal that will soon be presented to the MLB Players Association, which includes a 2020 season start date in July. In the meantime, baseball fans have been enjoying the KBO, which kicked off its season in South Korea earlier this week.
NHL
The NHL currently has no target date for a return, but the NHL deputy commissioner told ESPN he hopes that players will be able to return to facilities for off-ice training at some point in May.
College Sports
College sports are perhaps the biggest mess of all. The NCAA just released its “Core Principles of Resocialization of Collegiate Sport,” in which it laid out a very basic three-phase plan for schools to resume activities.
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