The way we are viewing and consuming sports is changing before our very eyes! With the worldwide outbreak and pandemic of the Coronavirus much of the world is in panic mode and more and more sport events are either being cancelled or being played behind closed doors - will this become the new norm for sports?
I am a cricket fan and tuned in last night to the match between New Zealand and Australia, and it was being played completely behind closed doors! Yes that means no spectators. Not only will this be costing sports associations around the world millions in lost revenue from ticket sales, it also makes for a strange sporting event. I never realised how much the crowd added to a sports match - the cheering, the noise, the banter. This match seemed more like the zombie apocalypse was near...
There is a rather large event supposed to be taking place this year called the olympics. There has been much talk about what will happen with this due to the virus. Some want it to go ahead as is - not the best option in my opinion, as millions of people congregating together for weeks isnt the best thing as we try and contain further spreads of the virus. Some have called for spectator free olympics - this would be fine for the rest of the world who can watch it on TV, but how about Japan? They stand to lose BILLIONS of dollars in lost revenues if this occurs. Others are calling for it to be delayed for 2 years - probably the best option - it is only sports after all!
With all of this we are seeing a bizarre shift in our viewing habits of sports, where empty stadiums could become the norm. We are even seeing sports where extra contact such as high 5s are being discouraged - odd! We are starting to see some sports stars contract the virus now too, and it is even possible we will just see less sports being played for the next few months until the virus is more controllable.
It will be an interesting time ahead for all sports enthusiasts!