Even amidst the uncertainty of the pandemic, the NFL plays to forge ahead with its 2020 season. This week, commissioner Roger Goodell reiterated that stance in a chat with Kairos CEO Ankur Jain. 
“The NFL is planning to play,” Goodell said (link via the NFL on Instagram). “That’s our hope, and that’s our planning to date…We can help our country heal. We can help bring our communities together. We can provide hope.”
Goodell also stressed that public safety is paramount to the NFL. Right now, it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which the NFL launches its season in September exactly as planned. Even if social distancing regulations are relaxed by local and federal regulators, the threat of a new COVID-19 wave will likely linger.
In the meantime, the NFL has drastically altered its offseason plans while mostly keeping the scheduled milestones in place. NFL executives will conduct the NFL Draft at their individual homes. And, between now and April 23rd, they’re conducting interviews with players via video conference.
President Trump has been pushing for the season to start on time, but there are many hurdles to clear between now and the fall. That goes for every city, but it’s doubly true in Los Angeles. SoFi Stadium is behind schedule and less than certain to be ready for Week 1, leaving the Rams and Chargers in limbo.
i should hope they’re not planning on canceling yet. God forbid anyone actually play things by year knowing full well we dont know how things will be a week from now, much less several months from now.
Maybe the NFL figures out some way to play games but I will bet anything that fans are not going to rush off to a stadium packed with 60,000 others until they see a vaccine available…and even the most optimistic forecasts say that is at least a year away.
I think more people would go then you think. They may take extra precautions but I think the numbers seriously afraid if the virus are much smaller than the narrative.
Well maybe there are people who think that since the death rate from the virus is only about 3% the fear is over exaggerated but think about this for a second…That 3% is the same edge casinos give themselves over customers. How often do they go broke?
A vaccine doesn’t guarantee a thing. Thats not a pre requisite to life resuming.
Ok, I’ll bite…what is the prerequisite to life resuming?
Yep prepare but most likely a reduced number of games because training camps don’t start till late August. Let’s wait and see what things look like in June before we get excited.
There’s no reason to imagine right now that training camp won’t start until late August. Sounds like a prediction typical of the very wrong fear-mongering that has been present in the media.
Mini-camps will obviously be affected, but there’s no reason to believe at this time that July camps will be moved. No reason at all.
Yep…no one knows what May will look like much less late Jily
True but second and third wave potentially could render this mute till a vaccine is developed
that’s true, but you cant say for sure if that will happen.
“Right now, it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which the NFL launches its season in September exactly as planned.”
No, it’s not. In fact, it’s hard to imagine that there will be any significant issue with playing games on schedule in front of fans in the regular stadiums.
Even the often cited IHME model, which has overprojected nearly every parameter, and is drastically reducing its numbers daily, has virtually all COVID deaths ending by late May, and assumes that social distancing will be lifted by June 1.
If this is truly seasonal, typical seasonal diseases don’t ramp up until late fall, which means the league should be able to start on time and then adjust later if a second wave seems imminent. And at least one virologist is predicting that the sheer number of vaccine trials means that a vaccine could be ready as early as fall.
I’m not saying the NFL season will absolutely progress without a hitch, but it’s more likely than not, based on fact, not fear.
It’s not seasonal
Are you a virologist?
Nope. From an article by CIDRAP:
Although some pundits have suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic will dissipate with coming warm temperatures and high humidity in the Northern Hemisphere, the virus is unlikely to be seasonal in nature, according to a paper published yesterday by the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
With so much conflicting data on so many aspects of the virus the fear factor only increases. The only sensible approach is to error on the side of caution.
One day at a time
If Goodell wants to offer the country hope he should retire.
Uh oh the Goodell bot is broken again