This year has been one that our country will never forget. We unfortunately were plagued with a deadly virus known as Covid 19 that spread throughout the entire country this past March. Many precautions were implemented to avoid exposure of this virus such as shutting down indoor dining, limiting gatherings, wearing face masks wherever you go, and postponing professional sports including the NFL. And needless to say, the NFL has been greatly impacted by this virus. I plan on going into detail on the effect Covid had on the current season and what we can expect moving forward.

It’s so unfortunate that Covid had to happen in one of the most highly anticipated NFL seasons in recent memory. Due to the virus, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had to cancel the NFL preseason. Preseason is crucial for players to establish chemistry, rookies to understand the speed of the game, and organizations to make decisions on their 53 man roster spots. And without a preseason, preparation was a lot harder for teams. Stadiums also reduced capacity to under 50% for all 32 organizations to reduce the spread, which hindered fan support and reduced revenue coming into the stadium and organizations. It almost feels as if the stadium is completely quiet, and players strive off of the enthusiasm and crowd atmosphere that these fans usually do. Due to the virus, numerous players have opted out of participating in this year’s season to ensure the health and safety of their families and loved ones which is completely respectful but also hinders a team’s success. Players, coaches, and staff members of each time are required to get Covid tested every day before they enter a facility. And if they test positive, they must follow strict guidelines and quarantine for 14 days just like every other citizen. It’s unbelievable how much the NFL has been impacted by this virus.

The NFL is constantly working on possible solutions to make the NFL go back to the way it once was and have full capacity at stadiums. The NFL is considering a bubble if the virus continues to get worse which would be the exact approach that the NBA participated in. It would have all 32 teams live in a certain area during the season and play in one stadium to avoid outside exposure and limit the chances of the athletes getting the virus. This has been discussed for months, but it is still unsure as to whether or not the NFL will go through with this option. The NFL is also considering another option which would have all members of an organization wear light wristbands that can trace the people that they have been in contact with to see if they have possibly been exposed or in contact with someone who has the virus. This wristband has built-in lights that flash if they are too close to another person to promote social distancing. Although these are considerations, nothing has been decided as of yet by the NFL, but we still remain optimistic as fans that soon enough we will be able to pack stadiums and cheer on our favorite teams.

Now in terms of my personal recommendation on how the NFL should approach this situation, I have a few different takes. Considering that the vaccine has just started to emerge in the United States, I believe that it should be a requirement for professional athletes to take it, that way none of them would have a possibility of testing positive for the virus which would allow organizations to stop mandatory testing for athletes. And eventually when the vaccine gets passed down to the normal civilians (us) then we will have the option to take it which will allow stadiums to start allowing more capacity. It might be a slow process to go all the way back to full capacity, but every little increase in capacity makes a huge difference. I also recommend that players should only be allowed to be in contact with a certain number of outsiders (family, friends) during the season. I know this can be very difficult with the limitations regarding social exposure to loved ones, but it would reduce cases significantly and would only last a few months for players. Those are some of my thoughts that I believe could reduce exposure.

I encourage all of my readers and viewers to comment on this post with their own opinions. Let me know how you guys feel about Covid 19’s impact on the NFL and what the NFL can do to reduce cases to have everything go back to normal ASAP. I also am going to ask you guys a few questions regarding this situation feel free to answer: Do you believe the NFL should go into a bubble? Should players be required to take the Covid vaccine? When do you believe all stadiums will be allowed to have full capacity?

I remind you all to post questions or concerns that you may have regarding this post. Like always please like and subscribe if you found this post interesting. I will leave a video regarding NFL precautions under my videos tab at the top of the site. Don’t forget to tune in tomorrow where I give you guys my predictions on how NBA teams will do this year and how the league will shape out. This is another post from Zack Attack’s Sport Takes, I hope you all have a great night!