The effects of COVID-19 have been brutal on many areas of society. Sports have not been left unscathed. In fact, they’ve been hit really hard. This year’s NFL season has already been hit with team facilities closures, visits and workouts being eliminated for free agents and draft prospects, significantly reducing the draft, and postponing off-season activities for an indefinite amount of time. As rough as it’s been, there’s more bleeding to come.
As of right now, the current NFL season has been affected by COVID-19 in these ways:
- Teams that have already changed coaches and coordinators usually get a two-week head start on holdover staff, but are now behind.
- Quarterbacks that relocated are facing challenges to getting together with their teammates to workout and build rapport. Acclimation periods have become much harder, as a result.
- Players who became injured this year are seeing their earning power diminished due to being forced to agree to one-year deals. Teams are also likely to be more apprehensive about taking on players who have been injured.
- The draft draft has gone from being something more of a festival to hardly being an event at all. In fact, it was all done online via livestreaming. One of the consequences of this was felt by players who were looking to make better impressions didn’t get a chance to do that.
- Offensive linemen have seen their padded training camp practices slashed, which affected the quality of play earlier in the season. The impact that rushing attacks had dropped while quarterback injuries rose.
- The Tennessee Titans saw 24 of their team members and staff test positive for COVID-19, including 13 players and 11 personnel. This has led to the real possibility of team bubbles for the playoffs. In addition, the Titans were fined $350,000 for failing to enforce the wearing of masks and being “insufficiently clear” about fully vacating their facilities after use.
- The NFL has created a Reserve/COVID-19 list that players are placed on when they either test positive for COVID-19 or have been quarantined after being in close contact with someone who was infected. Players for the Raiders, Saints, Panthers, Jaguars, Bills, and Falcons have all been placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
As you can see, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the way things have been done this NFL season for far. While we can hope things will go back to normal soon, it’s still too early to tell.
Take the Edge Off With Mobile Sports Betting Apps
This has been a challenging year that is anything but the same for the NFL. Luckily, there is a way that you can still enjoy the season, or what’s left of it – by getting into mobile sports betting. These apps are quickly becoming the go-to method of placing sports bets, and the World Sports Network have put together a list of the best sports betting apps you can jump in on right now. They’ve reviewed and ranked the best of the best, so check out the real money sportsbooks apps for 2020 and get a little more out of this NFL season than you have been.
(Syndicated press content is neither written, edited or endorsed by ED Times)
