By Alan Villanueva
Have you seen the latest match? No? That’s what I thought! Continuing to haunt humanity, the coronavirus has devastated economies worldwide and forced millions of people to stay at home to limit exposure. Tragically, the virus has halted many sports indefinitely, leaving many sports fanatics with little to no entertainment. Major countries like the United States, a place where many sports play an important role in culture and entertainment, have canceled every type of sport until further notice. Europe and Latin America have halted soccer, a crucial pastime, until summer, or even canceled the entire season (with the exception of Nicaragua and Belarus, who continue to host matches). With the lack of sports around the world, the world could potentially plunge into more heavy devastation than it is already in. Sports bring people together to cheer on favorite teams and meet others from the opposing side. Moreover, the Olympics (now postponed until 2021) bring many countries together to compete and most importantly to spread and learn about a variety of cultures.
Although fans around the world are feeling the effect of not having an intense match to watch, athletes who are the source of our cries and excitement, are feeling the most severe consequences. Recent reports show how our favorite players could suffer from depression or anxiety due to the inability to play their sport. Moreover, some players cannot continue training due to different lockdown restrictions around the globe. Furthermore, many players fear to return to the team, for they do not want to put themselves, their teammates, coaching staff, and fans at risk of exposure to the virus. Instead of being sad about not being able to watch the Patriots take on the Jets, the Warriors face the Knicks, the Cubs play the Dodgers, a kickoff between Barcelona and Real Madrid, or any other sports match, just remember our favorite players cannot do what they love because they care about the health of everyone. Sports are vital to humankind, for they create unique bonding experiences that cannot happen anywhere else, but like these athletes, we must all wait until circumstances allow them to occur again.