By Daniel Wright
As the MLB playoffs ramp up, the NHL and NBA championships wind down, and the MLS regular season is ending, it is time to look back at the rest of the sports year. Looking back at 2020, it was amazing to see all of the teams who worked so hard through the spring and summer to get where they are now. ← That is what I should have been writing. However, this year has been everything but ordinary. After every league was halted in mid-March, the questions started arising. When will sports come back? Will there be fans? Will they be able to play in their own stadiums? And yet, here we are in mid-October with sports coming to an end for the season(s). The Lakers won the NBA finals, the Tampa Bay Lightning won their first Stanley Cup in 15 years, MLS is heading into the playoffs, and the World Series is looming. So, at the end of the season, we look back at a year like no other.
Every league created a different plan to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Both MLS and the NBA gathered in Orlando at Disney’s Wide World of Sports for league-wide tournaments. After early hiccups with testing and outbreaks, the two leagues started and finished their tournaments. Each tournament had a significantly different feel. Because of their respective budgets, the NBA spent much more money on the in-game atmosphere. The court was surrounded by LED boards that played differing graphics and broadcast fans into the arena virtually. The relative appearance of an NBA arena helped create a great viewing experience, given the circumstances.
On the other hand, the MLS Is Back Tournament looked like a college soccer game being broadcast on massive networks. Since I am part of one of the largest fan bases in MLS, it was especially odd for me. I’m not used to watching Atlanta United games on TV; I’m used to going to them with 45k-70k other people, so that in itself was odd. In addition to this, 9 a.m. games, hearing the players, and CGI jumbotrons all contributed to the horrible viewing experience created by MLS. Since then, MLS teams have started playing in their home stadiums. The view of stands has made the viewing experience seem more natural, but seeing them empty has made watching it weird. However, it is much better than the tournament. Some MLS teams could host a small number of fans for every game, while others, like Atlanta, could only do it for 2 or 3. The NHL also created a bubble, gathering in two different Canadian cities for their tournament. It was very similar to the NBA tournament, with aspects of MLS since the tournament. They played in real arenas, but they had no fans. With pumped-in crowd noise, it was a very natural environment.
The league that handled the pandemic the best is Major League Baseball. In late June, it was announced that MLB would come back with a 60 game season and expanded playoff format starting in late July. In addition to this, rule changes, such as the universal DH, 7-inning doubleheaders, and the man-on-second rule were added to help accommodate for the compacted season. At the beginning of the restart, there were a couple of large outbreaks, but after those got under control, there have only been a handful of positive tests. Not only has player safety been handled well, but fan experience has also been, by far, the best. MLB teams went to their fans and asked for pictures of them sporting their team apparel. These pictures were turned into cardboard cutouts that were placed all around the stadiums. With those behind home plate, artificial crowd noise being pumped in, and the broadcast looking and sounding normal, it is easy to forget that there aren’t real people in the stadiums. The 60 game format and aforementioned rule changes have made for a season unlike any other. The Dodgers ended the regular season with a 71.7% win percentage (43-17), the Marlins made the playoffs for the first time since winning the ‘03 World Series, and the Braves scored a lot of runs in September...a lot of runs. In fact, they outscored opponents 173-134 over 26 games, going 15-11, and broke the NL record for most runs in a game with 29 against the Marlins. Now, with the playoffs starting, a limited number of fans are allowed in stadiums, and the teams are gathering in four neutral locations for the remainder of the playoffs, ending with the Fall Classic being held in Arlington, Texas.
Looking back at all of it, the horrible presentation, the losses, and of course the wins and other good times, I am extremely grateful for every league that finished its season out despite the current situation. Sports have always been and will always be a getaway from the stresses of life, and in 2020, we continuously need that. I loved watching the Braves on TV every night and seeing their socially distanced celebrations, but I cannot wait to be back in a stadium, cheering, booing, and feeling every emotional rise and fall that comes with sports.
