This Thursday marked one year since sports came screeching to a halt in response to the coronavirus pandemic. A year ago, on March 11, a basketball player tested positive for COVID-19, which acted as a catalyst to pause gameplay across not only the United States but also the globe. Now, however, sporting events are returning to some sense of normalcy.
For a period of time, sporting events returned with no spectators. Players were bubbled, and fans watched games from home in order to best mitigate the virus. Now, with a brighter horizon ahead, fans are beginning to return to stadiums. As March Madness is just around the corner, we are now seeing the return of spectators, as the games will be played with limited fans in arenas.
Specifically, in college sports, there is still a great amount of uncertainty. During the ACC tournament, Duke chose to pull out, as a member of their basketball program tested positive for COVID-19. While dominant sports programs, such as Duke’s, can take these hits, many worry about the uncertainty surrounding the safety of the season.
The tournament will begin on Thursday, March 18 and will end on Monday, April 5.
