Can the Saints, NFL, NBA, MLB, and NCAA win the battle against COVID-19 ?

The New Orleans Saints, NFL, NBA, MLB, and NCAA save their seasons in 2020 with the spike in COVD-19 cases in the United States.

Like it or not, but COVID-19 is proving to be a difficult opponent for the sports world.  I hope to be more positive and enlightening, but the cases are climbing, and this cannot be ignored.  The leadership in the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NCAA football are developing plans to return to playing in 2020. But, will these plans come into fruition after another wave of rising COVID-19 cases is increasing in America? 

Yesterday, it was reported at least 30 LSU football players had been quarantined. In the NFL, star Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott and teammates, and several Tampa Bay Buccaneers' teammates did test positive for the novel coronavirus. Locally, New Orleans Saints' Head Coach Sean Payton and WR Austin Carr contracted the virus. Both have recovered and are healthy. 

Will this be the end of more infections? No.

On Saturday, the NFLPA's Medical Director, Dr. Thom Mayer, sent the NFL players a message advising them to refrain from group workouts before training camps begin next month. 

“We’re banging heads in 1-on-1 drills, licking fingers to throw and snap footballs, high-fiving after good plays, breathing on one another after great tackles, huddling over 100 snaps a day, standing on sidelines shoulder-to-shoulder during 11-on-11s, but we need to be six feet apart all other times. Makes zero sense," one NFC head coach said. "Try scheduling for that protocol. I just stopped doing it. Too many what-ifs.''   Albert Breer's MMQB

Currently, there is not a proven vaccine to conquer COVID-19. Then why would the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NCAA ask players and coaches to return to action? Let's explore. In several weeks, the NFL will have its players returning to headquarters and practice facilities for training camps. Teams have not determined how and if fans, media, and sports lovers will have an opportunity to interact with players upon return. The statistics showing a rise in new infections reported by each state is problematic. 

Director of NIAID, Dr. Fauci, said in an interview with CNN's Sanjay Gupta that "unless players are essentially in a bubble," he did not see how the NFL will have a season this year. 

In the United States, Louisiana and the City of New Orleans are in Phase 2 of re-opening after the initial surge in the COVID-19 outbreak. As of June 21, 2020, Louisiana has confirmed 49,385 cases in the state, and 2,992 deaths resulted from the novel coronavirus. Fortunately, it is presumed 37,017 of those who contracted COVID-19 have recovered, and 574 patients remain hospitalized. The World Health Organization (WHO) publicized the U.S. has tallied over 2.2 million cases and almost 118,895 thousand deaths resulting from COVID-19. With these numbers, how can a physical sport where players must contact and come near another player keep from becoming a COVID-19 patient themselves? Most dismiss Dr. Fauci as over-dramatizing the future of the NFL-perhaps. However, what if he is correct?

Forbes' Mike Ozanian projects the NFL could lose $5.5B in revenue if the fans cannot join the games in the stadiums. Financially, the NFL will suffer, but so will businesses (small to large) who depend on the revenue generated before, during, and after games. Arena personnel, security, catering services, shops, bars, entertainment, airlines, hotels, car rental services, and more will be impacted if football does not resume. The decisions made in high places, executive meetings, and video calls will influence the future of the games in the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NCAA. The health of players, coaches, team personnel, and fans will be affected as a result of these decisions. Unfortunately, the financial side of sports will often outweigh the health and well-being of the athlete and others.

I am uncertain if the sport I truly love will return in 2020. We can only be optimistic the future will turn positive in the fight against COVID-19. One thing is for sure, 2020 has set unsettled our comfortability and set a new benchmark in the sports world. The Saints, NFL, NBA, MLB, and NCAA will evolve. How? We will wait and see.