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You can look it up yourself if you don’t believe me but it’s somehow only been two weeks since the NBA made the decision to bring its season to an abrupt halt and caused other leagues to slam on the brakes as well, as the NHL and Major League Baseball quickly followed suit and the NCAA went a step further by pulling the plug on March Madness.
At this point, there’s really no telling how long we’re going to have to wait until things get back to normal, and while Mark Cuban seems to be confident we’ll be able to get our basketball fix at some point in May, his guess is really as good as anyone’s based on the countless simulations and projections concerning how the current situation could play out.
With three of the Big Four leagues at a virtual standstill, the NFL has really been the only consistent source of sports news, but unless you get a huge rush whenever Adam Schefter tweets out contract details after a free agent signs with a team, it’s not enough to fill the void.
The NFL Draft is still slated to take place as scheduled in Las Vegas in about a month, and a couple of weeks ago, Roger Goodell insisted the current state of the world will not have an impact on the upcoming season and said the league has no intention of pushing back the start date.
There’s still plenty of time until September rolls around but it seems like more and more people around the football world have begun to voice their concern about the impact travel restrictions, facility access, and transmission fears could have when it comes to making sure they’re adequately prepared for the upcoming season.
A number of college programs have already begun to gear up for a worst-case scenario, and according to Mike Freeman, multiple NFL coaches and front office members are bracing for the same possibility.
One thing to pass along: I’m increasingly hearing from coaches and front office executives that they believe it will be nearly impossible for the season to start on time. Some believe training camp will start in the fall.
— mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) March 25, 2020
No one is saying the season will be postponed, it’s just that some in the NFL aren’t trying to fool themselves. They see the same data we do.
— mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) March 25, 2020
As things currently stand, this concern is probably sitting at around #37 on my “Things To Panic About Right Now” list but I can see it rising up the rankings as this situation continues to develop.