Written by Kushaan Agarwal, a grade 9 student.

Coronavirus led to all sports leagues being suspended, of course, to pertain to social distancing norms. This not only affected the clubs, but also the players, the media companies, and even the viewers. Clubs and players had no income, resulting in lower salaries and major cost-cuttings. Media companies, especially sports broadcasters also faced losses since they had no live match to stream, thus resulting in lesser companies to stream ads on that channel due to low viewership. However, finally, after about three months, the sports leagues are opening. Many have been postponed, for example, the Olympics, many cancelled, but most importantly, there have been changes to the whole leagues itself. Read ahead to find out how.

From now, as one could have predicted, there would be no viewers in the stadium. Yup, the stadium would remain empty to pertain to social distancing. This is one of the only times when this has had to happen since many players have expressed that it is the fans that encourage them and motivate them during a match. Now, in place of the viewers, there are large ads and hoardings put. It definitely felt weird to everyone. Some clubs started putting loudspeakers playing recording chants and hootings from the viewers. Some created an online call, broadcasted the match live, and displayed the videos of fans on large screens. A famous football club, Real Madrid, in fact put large LED screens in their stands, where they played recorded videos of fans!

Secondly, many precautions have been taken beforehand, too. Many players and staff, if not all in some leagues, have been tested for the coronavirus. Those who tested positive were of course sent for quarantine and treatment, and thus this created a safer environment in the stadium for all, since it was clear that no one was affected in the stadium.

Finally, teams now have to ensure extra hygiene for all their players. They have to regularly check on their player’s health. Also, all staff and players are given a choice, in some leagues, to skip playing. They are allowed to back out from playing matches in foreign countries and/or any match if they feel they are afraid of catching the coronavirus.

Thus, it is clear that sports leagues will not remain the same for a long time. Let’s pray that all comes back to normal soon so that all sports fans can enjoy watching matches live in the stadium!

Written by Kushaan Agarwal
Kushaan is an aviation enthusiast. He also loves to play basketball and tennis, among other sports

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