COVID 19 has affected almost every aspect of our daily lives. It has changed the way people lived their lives, causing many people to be in constant isolation. People have developed “cabin fever” by staying at home all the time. COVID 19 has also caused the stock market to plummet. Millions of people lost their jobs as well. But a less obvious impact of COVID 19 is its impact on sports.

So, what has COVID 19 done to sports? Most sports are spectator sports, which means fans would watch games live. However, if there were thousands of fans in the stadiums, then there would be more of a chance of the virus spreading. Events such as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics have been postponed. The Major League Baseball season has been delayed, as well as the NBA and WNBA seasons. Many athletes have tested positive for the virus, including Sean Payton, the head coach for the New Orleans Saints, James Dolan, owner of the New York Knicks, and Kevin Durant, a Nets player. Sports betting platforms are also losing money, since there is nothing for fans to bet on.

This year, the NFL draft was held online. Many football fans were hoping their internet connection would be able to last through the draft. In three days, there were over 55 million views. NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, gave his $40 million salary to the NFL. He wanted to make sure that others could get paid. However, the future is still arbitrary, so the NFL had to cut costs, which means that there were salary and pension reductions.

Many athletes have done their part in helping others during this time of isolation. Philadelphia Eagles defensive end, Chris Long, has donated his salary to benefit educational charities so that children could continue school during quarantine. NBA player Bismack Biyombo has donated over $1 million worth of medical supplies to the Congo, his home country. These athletes are just a few examples of how people are helping those in need during COVID-19.