The coronavirus outbreak has had devastating effects all around the world. Many people have died and get infected each day, and athletes are no exception. Many sports leagues in the US have had to make changes to their season schedules including the NBA, NHL, NFL and the MLB.
The MLB had their whole schedule rearranged due to the outbreak and many
teams have had players and staff infected with the disease. These include the Miami
Marlins and the St. Louis Cardinals. The Miami Marlins were one of the very first
teams to contract the virus with their pitcher, Jose Urena, out for the season opener just
ninety minutes before the tipoff. After the game, the infection spread to three other staff
members and the team ended up having to stay overnight in Philadelphia because they
could not board the plane back home.
Dr. Anthony Fauci warned that the Marlins COVID-19 outbreak could put the season in jeopardy. “If there is a second wave, which is certainly a possibility and which would be complicated by the predictable flu season, football may not happen this year,” Fauci said.
The MLB proposed the idea of letting the games be played on spring training fields
with no fans present in Florida and Arizona. Schedules have been systematically changed
by region, so that teams located near each other can play. Many overseas exhibition games
have also been canceled, such as games set to take place in Japan and Taiwan, for the safety
of those countries’ inhabitants. The world exhibition games may not return until the year
2023, according to cbssports.com.
Many team facilities have been shut down due to many players and staff catching
the virus as well. Some teams are aware of it and still continue to reopen their facilities
despite the heavy risk it possesses. The Texas Rangers were the first team to start
doing this. After two weeks of reopening their buildings, several members of the
Rangers were immediately infected and the team was forced to shut down once again.
Players have also been vocal about their concerns for playing in the 2020 season, such as
Mike Trout of the Angels. “I still don’t feel comfortable,” Trout said.
The MLB eventually did a league wide coronavirus testing of 3,185 players and only 1.2 percent came back positive, as of July 3. Even though this was a low percentage, many umpires and players decided to opt out from participating in the season.
Some players have even shown symptoms of the virus. After the Marlins reported
their first infection, the team announced that there will be a daily testing operation for the
staff and players on their team. Following the Marlins outbreak, the Phillies were tested
after the game. No players tested positive, but two members of the coaching staff were.
The MLB investigated, and it turned out that those were false positives cases.
Commissioner Rob Manfred said that the league would be fortunate if they get to complete
the season of 60 games.