Staff Writer: Harvey Atsma
In less than a month reporters are broadcasting the sad news, “The rapid spread of the coronavirus is causing cancellations and postponements of sporting events and affecting sports around the globe. One of the biggest developments is that Japan and the International Olympic Committee have decided to postpone the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo until next year.”
No one expected the world to be in a pandemic and have to put a hold on our everyday lives. This is a big hit to everyone from the fans to the workers that have no jobs due to their involvement in sports.
Picture credits newyorkpost.com, a poster on professional sports being cancelled.
The sports world has been in a shock since March 12, 2020. This was the day the NBA made their decision to end the season due to the corona virus. Followed by this, all professional sports took action to cancel. Everyone from players to fans were heartbroken by the news.
Picture credits politico.com, Empty seats after ending of the American Conference tournament.
Many people are especially sad because March had finally approached and fans high anticipations for march madness were almost fulfilled. This is the first time the March Madness tournament has ever been cancelled. A tournament that has been taking place ever since March 17, 1939.
Originally, they had plans of holding the tournament with no fans in attendance, but later decided not to put anyone in preventable danger. So, this year there will be no brackets, no upsets, and no winner of the 2020 march madness tournament. Duke guard, Tre Jones, states “Doesn’t seem real still”, which was most players reaction to the season being over.
High school spring sports were also canceled which was the saddest news for myself. All athletes had been putting in work and starting off their seasons. The senior athletes may have it the worst because we did not know that our senior goals will not be achieved or even attempted. As a senior track runner this hurts because I had so many expectations and goals for myself and now the season is over.
The last meet I ran in was the Woodstock Invitational and I received three medals including a gold for the long jump. Little did I know that memory may have been my last for my track career. Many athletes now must come to the realization that their high school sporting career might just be over. The corona virus is expected to get worse and social distancing is being advised for everyone, so sports aren’t allowed to happen at this time.
The NFL draft has been cancelled but they are exploring a way for teams to still make their selection of picks. Players and NFL teams are in anticipation for the new process of the draft. There is a lot of potential talent that the NFL has coming their way and they must continue with the drafting process. The corona virus pandemic has not put a hold on the NFL free agency, which is the best sports news we have been able to receive.
Picture credits Youtube.com, NFL 2020 offseason free agents.
Seriously the NFL off season will be the most exciting sports news for a while. Many star players are discovering their new teams to be apart of. The Atlanta Falcons have brought in hometown star, Todd Gurley, as he will be the new running back for the offense. Atlanta fans couldn’t be more excited to hear this news, as most have been a fan of him since his time at the University of Georgia.
The Arizona cardinals take a win on one of the worst trades the NFL has seen in a long time. The Texans traded DeAndre Hopkins and a fourth-round draft pick to the Arizona Cardinals for David Johnson and a 2020 second-round draft pick as well as a 2021 fourth-round draft pick, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Most people’s reactions were the same, questioning how the Texans could trade a superstar receiver for an injury prone running back. The Texans already have a solid running back, Lamar miller, but now they have multiple running backs with a weak offensive line and one of the best receivers in the league now on the opposing team.
Another big hit on the NFL off-season is Tom Brady leaving the Patriots and heading to the Buccaneers. Patriot fans are heartbroken as Buccaneers fans are split on their excitement. They know they are getting one of the top quarterbacks in the league, but it looks to be happening near the end of his career.
The Panthers are looking to be a completely new team after this off season after losing most of their big-name players. The replacement quarterback for Newton will be Teddy Bridgewater, which is a pretty decent fit. Now that the Panthers gave up on Newton, he will look for a new team to prove them wrong. As of now I believe Newton will be fit into a patriot’s uniform, but only time will tell.
The corona virus has put a hold to sports across the world, but at a time like this people’s safety is far more important than a game. No one will ever take sports for granted and will look to continue the game when this pandemic is over.
The Wolverine Times 
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