The Coronavirus is spreading, and it’s starting to affect all parts of life. While the effects of the deadly disease far exceed the world of professional sports, the NFL needs to do their part to reduce the spread of the virus. Late on Wednesday night, the NBA announced that they are suspending their current season, while the MLB and XFL are playing the games in empty stadiums and, in some cases, limiting press access to the locker room.
The NFL is in the offseason, which obviously means they don’t have to worry about anything on this grand of a scale. However, with free agency and the NFL Draft right around the corner, the NFL needs to weigh their options on what to do given the current state of the world.
How the NFL Should Handle Coronavirus in Free Agency, NFL Draft
Some have called for the NFL to push back their calendar and wait a month or two before officially kicking off free agency. However, there isn’t much logic to that. While free agents travel to their respective teams to sign their contract, there aren’t many crowds or public fanfare associated with this part of the NFL season.
Traveling carries some risk to the players, but it’s not an advanced risk. Baseball and hockey players are still traveling across the country, as are several US citizens. The Coronavirus is a very real threat, but we do not appear to be at the point where simple in-country air travel represents a significant threat to the health of our nation. As long as there isn’t an in-country travel ban in the next few days, the NFL should still conduct free agency in their usual manner.
The NFL Draft
The NFL Draft, however, is an entirely different story. For the first time ever, the league planned on hosting the draft in Las Vegas. This, of course, was supposed to be a huge event, generating tons of interested fans and the associated crowds.
For obvious reasons, it would be very dumb to move forward without adjusting that plan. Large gatherings are (justifiably) becoming less and less common, with some states banning such occurences altogether. March Madness won’t have any fans in attendance, and baseball and hockey are probably going down the same road. It’s no secret that diseases spread quickly in large, compact crowds, and that’s exactly what the NFL Draft is trying to create in Vegas.
The NFL can still hold a draft, but they’re going to need to cut down on the fanfare. At the end of the day, the entire event is just NFL Commissioner reading names off of cards. Individuals teams work in their own separate draft rooms, and players always had the choice to come to the draft or follow along at their home.
There’s no reason the entire NFL Draft can’t be done purely through satellite locations. Roger Goodell could broadcast the picks from NFL offices while teams across the country follow along in their respective team offices. Players can wait with their loved ones to receive the all-important call regarding their NFL future. Sure, it will be different, but it can be done without dramatically affecting the NFL schedule.
The obvious disclaimer here is that the NFL Draft is over one month away and there’s a very real chance the Coronavirus gets worse before it gets better. If the epidemic affects a higher percentage of the population between now and the NFL Draft, then perhaps the NFL should consider canceling the event. However, based on all current information, they should be able to find a workaround for the virus.
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