3/16 Update: The NFL recently alerted hotels that the draft would not be taking place as planned. On the 16th they announced intentions to proceed with the televised draft on April 23-25 (the original date), however public events in Las Vegas would be canceled.
As the NFL Draft approaches, the continued spread of the coronavirus has led to some questions about whether or not the 2020 draft will go on as planned.
On March 3rd, NFL.com released a brief update noting that the NFL is monitoring developments.
The statement from the NFL reads:
“We are closely monitoring developments and have been in contact with The World Health Organization, CDC and the NFL-NFLPA medical experts at the Duke Infection Control Outreach Network (DICON) Program for Infection Prevention,” the statement read. “We will continue those discussions throughout our offseason.”
The NFL draft has become a bigger and bigger event throughout the years, shattering a record for attendance by drawing a crowd of 600,000 over its 3 days in Memphis.
An event of that size which includes the future stars of the league, former NFL stars, NFL executives, and other NFL big-wigs could be disastrous if affected by a major disease outbreak. Because of this, it isn’t irrational for fans to ask if the draft will be altered or canceled.
Will the 2020 NFL Draft be canceled due to the Coronavirus?
The NFL has, and will continue to have discussions about how the disease could affect the draft. If the disease continues to progress, alterations may be seen.
However, one thing is certain regarding the NFL draft: It will happen. There might be some different precautions added, or maybe they’ll even prevent fans from attending (although the odds of that are basically zero given the venue and big shows they’re putting on).
If the disease becomes the pandemic that the CDC fears it could be, the worst situation would be a draft that doesn’t happen in person. But thanks to technology, that would look basically the same to fans minus the booing of Goodell and subsequent handshakes. And remember, this is assuming the disease gets worse. If the draft were happening today, it would go on as planned without question.
The not-in-person option isn’t great, as prospects would miss out on the dream of walking across the NFL stage and holding up the team jersey.
If at all possible, the NFL won’t change anything. The first option would be to close it off to fans like the Combine.
A delay in the draft is not an easy option, as the offseason schedule is strictly defined and you don’t want to miss out on practice opportunities for rookies.
What have other leagues done?
Multiple sports organizations have been discussing cancelling events, along with movie premiers due to lowered attendance caused by COVID-19.
Stories like these will continue to become more prevalent if the number of cases continues to grow. For the time being, no major sporting event has made any big actions in the name of virus protection.
Another story worth watching is how Coronavirus could affect the 2020 Olympics, as this is basically a haven for international virus transportation.
Will Coronavirus Affect the Upcoming NFL Season?
This part is not expert or insider information as I’m not a medical professional and should be taken with a grain of salt. As I have no interest in spreading potentially misleading information, I will also include this helpful link to learn more about COVID-19: CDC’s Coronavirus Information
It’s important to note that coronavirus isn’t new, it’s just a more significant strain (similar to H1N1 about a decade ago). Like the flu, Coronavirus is usually worse in winter months. By late April, it’s possible that the pandemic will have died down a bit (until the winter when it might come back).
If the disease continue to spread at its current rate, it is very possible that it could make its run through professional sports leagues. While fatalities are unlikely because athletes are in good physical condition, reports say it takes multiple weeks for symptoms to go away, and it is obviously highly contagious.
While I don’t always trust the NFL to make the right decision when it may cost them money, there is too much at stake for them to make a greedy decision. If the situation continues to get worse approaching the start of training camp, you might be an announcement from the NFL. In the meantime, expect everything to continue as planned as the number of actual cases in the United States is relatively low.
Too Long Didn’t Read
While the NFL draft will take place in some capacity, there is a slight chance that they will change their approach to close it to the public, or make it a digital draft without handshakes. If at all possible, the NFL draft will occur as normal, as the event is in Las Vegas and they have lots of plans to make it an enticing all around event.
Be sure to arm yourself with knowledge and avoid misconceptions about the Coronavirus. With any questions about the disease, visit the CDC’s website before trusting me or other non-credentialed sites.
Here’s to a 2020 NFL Draft that goes on without a hitch. Feel free to leave a comment with any opinions on the matter.
