THE WHACKY WORLD OF PRO SPORTS

Seeking Normalcy in Abnormal Times 

Sports are part of American life. They help us learn about teamwork, leadership, the thrill of the “W”, and the hard knocks of losing. Youngsters have dreams of playing sports in college, representing their country in the Olympics, and competing at the pro level. We enjoy year-round entertainment, carefully orchestrated to move us from one to the next. Enter the pandemic. 

To Bubble or Not to Bubble 

Entire leagues and professional organizations were faced with decisions to proceed, postpone, or cancel their 2020 season. Sports like tennis, golf, and car racing could more easily institute and control contact tracing, testing protocols, and masking up while proceeding with a semblance of normalcy. Some pro leagues have operated in a bubble, like basketball, hockey, and soccer, sequestering entire teams and sports journalists into a handful of locations for the duration of the season. Others with larger rosters like football and baseball decided to proceed differently and put in place contingency plans for COVID-positive players, staff, and coaches but have had mixed outcomes.  

Major League Baseball (MLB) skirted a near disaster with COVID-positives as several players made poor decisions, spread infection, and brought the league to the brink of cancelation. Several National Football Leage (NFL) teams have had isolated positive tests, impacting individual players or forcing the rescheduling of games. The league is taking protocols seriously and even fined five coaches $100,000 and their teams $250,000 for not wearing masks properly during games week one1. As the season is at the mid-point, time will tell if stringent requirements and intensive testing regimens can be sustained through the Super Bowl. 

Health Tech and Beyond 

Hundreds of thousands of tests have been administered across professional sports leagues with only a handful of positives and most with mild or no symptoms. Between May and mid-July, soccer’s Premier League conducted 20,500 tests with a positive rate of 0.1 percent. At the end of August, the NFL had administered 45,000 tests with only one positive2. To complement testing, sports clubs quickly implemented technology like smart rings to monitor heart rate and temperature, early symptoms of coronavirus, and deployed wearables with social distancing alerts and contact tracing features. 

Technology is also fueling a more interactive fan experience. Despite fans being relegated to on-screen only experiences, most professional sports have seen TV viewership drop by 30 percent or more during the pandemic. To keep fans tuning in, leagues are experimenting with an enriched experience. Drones provide new camera angles, live virtual cheering is piped in to make fans feel a part of the game, and AR brings fan parties into the virtual realm. Digital and social interactions show the industry’s innovative and resilient character. 

Despite bigger and grander stadiums and arenas, fans have been disengaging for years. As a result, franchises must continue efforts which are being explored during coronavirus, to reinvent the future fan experience. Key to their success will be unique and customized in-person, high-tech, and contactless interactions. Creating outdoor viewing spaces for watch parties, using shipping containers as “opera box” premium screen viewing, and drive-in environments with 360-degree screen and stage viewing could be worthwhile long-term investments. Reinvention of the fan experience could help moderate financial impacts now and create new revenue streams post pandemic. 

The Game Plan 

Sports faced with rescheduled and abbreviated 2020 seasons are preparing to do it all over again. Successes and failures from COVID 1.0 show innovation, resilience, and a spirit of reinvention. Fans are a resilient bunch but must feel safe enough to return to venues. Biometrics, IoT, and AI will help monitor player health during training and games and monitor off-field activities. 

You do not need to be a fan to recognize the impact this pandemic has had on the sports world, those who play and work in it, and those who root and cheer. Athletics are important to American society, especially to our youth. They bring us together to be a part of something, especially meaningful, they allow us to put aside differences and to come together in support of a common goal.