Sports updates highlight differing opinions about pandemic
Written by Site Hub on May 15, 2020
The American Hockey League has announced the cancellation of the 2020 Calder Cup Playoffs and games for the rest of the season. As a result, the Rochester Americans also won’t be allowed to play.
AHL president and CEO David Andrews explained: “After a lengthy review process, the American Hockey League has determined that the resumption and completion of the 2019-20 season is not feasible in light of current conditions.”
The Amerks fully supported the decision. They noted in a statement: “The health and safety of players, staff and fans is our top priority.” Ticketholders for AHL events can seek next season credits or full refunds.
Even as the AHL ended games, other organizations decided to bring back close contact sports. Major League Baseball owners hope to start spring training in mid-June and then start the season during the July 4th weekend. The Buffalo Bills have announced their 17-week schedule, which starts September 13th and includes four prime time games.
Yet, Dr. Andrew Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, has stated that contact sports can increase the spread of the virus even if fans watch from home. While speaking to Peter King with NBC Sports, Fauci explained that NFL games specifically present the “perfect setup” for spreading the virus: “It is likely that if four of them [players] are positive and they’ve been hanging around together, that the other ones that are negative are really positive… Once you wind up having a situation where it looks like it’s spread within a team, you got a real problem. You gotta shut it down.”
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