My Nickel’s Worth

The coronavirus has now caused the suspension of every major American sport, as well as one of the best sporting events of the year, the NCAA tournament. This has been one of my favorite sporting events since I was a little kid. Waking up on that first day of the tournament at 11 a.m. on spring break to watch sixteen games on Thursday and Friday, following by eight games on Saturday and Sunday. This is so devastating for everyone involved...including the seniors who were about to make the tournament for the last time, wanting to go out on a high note but instead, they will not get that opportunity at all. As a sports fan, the cancellation of the NCAA tournament is what really hits home to me but I know that there are many events across the country and world that will not be happening this year. The suspension and cancellation of these many events began on Wednesday, when All-Star Center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus right before the tip-off in Oklahoma City between the Utah Jazz and the OKC Thunder, leading to the suspension of the NBA for the time being. As of now, ALL professional sports are suspended, also including the MLB, NHL and the beginning of the new NFL season. But I know that these professional sports will most likely return to action at a later date, setting up for an historic and unprecedented year in sports. However, I cannot help but be devastated for the student athletes who have put so much time into their sports, only for their season to end so abruptly in the blink of an eye without anything they can do about it or do to change the decision that the NCAA has made. This goes for all collegiate sports as well—basketball, baseball, hockey, lacrosse, you name it. The only thing that can be brought forth now by the NBA is to make the decision to let all Seniors come back in all collegiate sports for the next season. It is only fair for such an unprecedented moment in time, with so many lives affected. I consider myself to be the biggest sports fan I know....but the pain that I am currently feeling cannot be anything compared to the collegiate athletes who do not get to compete at the highest level of their respective sport this season. Hopefully this can bring us together as a nation once more, with all of us feeling this devastation... knowing that many lives have been changed through this. The most important thing is that we reali7e that this pandemic is real... it is not a hoax, with this becoming a global pandemic and congressional doctors trying to prepare us for the months to come. This is just the beginning of this virus, with a projected 96 million people projected to be infected by the virus and over 400,000 people to potentially die. The most important thing we can do right now as individuals is know that this goes beyond sports, and that these are proactive precautions being taken to avoid catastrophe. Sports has always been “the great escape” for myself and many others in life but with this pandemic in our way, I am going to focus my time on my family, friends, my fiancée, and most importantly the Lord, reading scripture and reminding everyone that we will get past this moment in time through Christ, knowing that God is in control.