With the announcement of the Big Ten and Pac-12 cancelling their fall football seasons with the hopes of playing in the spring, it would leave many football fans concerned about the 2020 pro football season. Even the CFL (Canadian Football League) cancelled its 2020 season.
Not the NFL.
The league remains confident it can play a full 17-week, 16-game schedule and roll right into a postseason that will decide this year’s Super Bowl champion.
But how?
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NFL Reserve/COVID-19 List
Yes, in 2020 there is such a list in the NFL. The league will not specify if any player on the list tested positive for the virus, but it’s pretty safe to assume that anyone on the list either tested positive or came in contact with someone that did.
Regardless, the NFL’s Reserve/COVID-19 list was once as high as 80. It is now down to 15. When you figure there are over 2,500 players on NFL rosters right now, 15 sounds pretty good. It’s a good sign and one reason why the NFL is confident they can play the entire 2020 season.
Testing
Recently, the FDA approved a new coronavirus test. The saliva-based test was developed by researchers at Yale University. The new test is easy and much less invasive than the sinus swab test. It’s less expensive and it can produce results in a few hours.
Testing is one of the reasons why the NBA and NHL have had so much success with resuming their 2019- 20 seasons. Players are tested regularly and neither league has had any positive tests in weeks. The NHL recently announced that in its latest round of testing – 5,640 tests – there were no positive results.
Huge Challenges Ahead
The NFL cancelled all of its preseason games and did not allow any full-contact practices in training camp until this week. NFL teams by nature do not have as much contact as the average fan might think. Players are, however, in close proximity to each other during certain group and team drills.
Can players make it through the remainder of training camp without any positive test results? It’s certainly possible. Players and staff are in a bubble of sorts while in camp. They all stay in the same location and don’t have much contact with the outside world.
With COVID-19, the NFL training camp bubble is even tighter. That’s another reason why the league believes it can pull off the 2020 season. With no outbreaks thus far, the league is confident.
That could all change though. When training camp ends, players go back to their homes. That means they will be around their families and possibly others in their neighborhoods. Family members may come in contact with others in the community.
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The NHL and NBA have experienced so much success because they chose to continue their seasons in their respective bubbles. The NBA, of course, is housing all players, staff, and support personnel at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.
All games take place there and all personnel remain in what is basically quarantine while the season goes on. That will not be the case for the NFL. Teams will take road trips. Some cities will allow fans, though limited, in the stands.
MLB has had some issues with teams playing in different locations. The Miami Marlins had a coronavirus outbreak that forced the cancelling of some games. What if something similar happens in the NFL?
It appears we will find out. Teams are continuing training camp and the first NFL game of the season – Texans-Chiefs – is just thirty or so days away.
