By Kelvin Butler
The fans miss sports. Everything’s getting canceled or put on hold – spring college sports, the Summer Olympics and other major sports leagues. Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, who advised the Obama administration on health policy, believes that sports won’t be played in front of fans until fall 2021.
Kevin Marshall, Bridgeport High School’s varsity football and basketball head coach, believes that fans are important to the games.
“If there are no fans, I feel like it’s just practice,” says Marshall. “[…] I think most players play better with cheering – it motivates them and gives them the reason to play harder on the field and court.”
Marshall would like to see the NBA start the playoffs with just the top 16 teams or the current top 8 seeds in each conference, and the MLB could just play more doubles headers. Or, both leagues could shorten the seasons overall.
Even without fans, sports are a way to relieve stress. It’s social bonding; it’s life for a lot of people in the world.
“We need it. I need it. The world needs it. But, our safety comes first in the end,” says Marshall.