Will there be a football season in 2020?

but...but...does this mean that Tiger Woods won't play in the Masters this year?

I don't think they'll play at all unless there is a consensus in society that it is safe for kids to go to school with large groups of fellow students, safe to travel on public transportation, safe to go out to dinner or lunch in crowded restaurants, safe for 60,000 fans to attend a football game, safe for 25,000 fans to attend a basketball or hockey game, safe again to do all the things that we took for granted a month ago (and probably should have stopped doing two months ago).

If we get to that point by September, then I could see the league taking four weeks for some version of Training camps, eliminating the preseason and having a 12 game schedule beginning in October.

The scheduling would be simple if they just used the planned schedule, minus the four September games, since venues are already committed (this would require the broadcast networks agreeing to going with the schedule as is, even if they lose "attractive" games...i'm pretty sure there's something about that in the contract anyway).

The scheduling would be a nightmare if they decide that every team will still play six divisional games and some subset of the other 10 games: Would they put conference over inter conference games? How would they develop a schedule working around venues that are already committed to other events like Soccer games and concerts? How would they deal with the various broadcast networks and their individual roster of "attractive" games if the schedule is upended?

So, bottom line for me: if we're not at the point by September that life can return to normal, the NFL schedule will be the least of our problems. Nonetheless, the season will be lost and Tom Brady will likely have never played a game in anything but a Junipero Sera, U Mich or NEP Jersey.

PatsFanSince74 said:

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safe for 60,000 fans to attend a football game, .

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unnecessary

What is necessary is a test that gives a positive within a few minutes. So, players, staff and other necessary employees would test coming in \to the facility and before they leave.

BTW, the test is already available from Abbot.

Looks like schools are telling their broadcast partners that the college season could be wiped out or at best badly delayed.

If there is an NFL season it will be done in empty stadiums. Even then I think there is a 50% chance it is cancelled or delayed indefinitely. That percentage grows by the week.

Steve85 said:

I’m not sure even empty stadiums will work because there are a **** Ton of people needed to put on an NFL game.

players, refs, coaches, medical staffs, broadcasting crews

lots of people. Lots.

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Yes but there’s a difference between a couple hundred people - many of whom will be able to keep a good distance - and a jam packed 75,000 people in attendance.

Froob said:

What happens first, the coronavirus ends or the investigation into the Bengals camera incident?

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Or we get the PSI numbers from the 2015 season...

The season must be played in some crippled way.
For the patriots its a bridge year anyway with a tough schedule, so a crippled season would make it tough for everybody else. The year after that we will have some 100m in cap space and a chance to be competitive. If they skip this season, our bridge year will just be postponed...
And of course we maybe won't have to endure Brady in a Bucs jersey.

Selfish, I know...

patsfan7983 said:

The season must be played in some crippled way.
For the patriots its a bridge year anyway with a tough schedule, so a crippled season would make it tough for everybody else. The year after that we will have some 100m in cap space and a chance to be competitive. If they skip this season, our bridge year will just be postponed...
And of course we maybe won't have to endure Brady in a Bucs jersey.

Selfish, I know...

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MLB is planning to move past the season if they have to cancel and guys lose the year of their contract. That could happen here.

Yes

There will be a draft and there will be an NFL season. This will be over soon and people will go back to normalcy.

Ian said:

Funny you posted this, I had a discussion with someone else earlier and I don't see how they can fix this by September unless the government throws up their hands and gives up and accepts this as a new cyclical disease...which given what it's been doing, would be a nightmare.

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In addition to @mgteich 's comments, if we pull apart "cyclical" there may be some other reasons to be hopeful.

By August, we should have readily available testing for both "do you have it now?" as well as "have you had it already?" (live virus vs. antibodies). What if we find that a significant portion of the population has had it already (and had little or no symptoms, as the Iceland study seems to indicate is happening)?

There's an opportunity at that point to do successive rounds of social distancing with more vertical targeting (just those demographics that have proven vulnerable enough to need hospitalization). People who have already had it are free to go back to work and engage fully in social interactions. That might put at least a few fans in the stadiums. It could certainly open the restaurants, mass transit, etc.

And yes, people who have the antibodies would need some kind of highly visible indicator, which will be a bit creepy.

Just thinking out loud here.

mgteich said:

I apologize for being unclear. I think that the games should be played without fans, and that having such games would be a great service to the country. However, I don't think that this should happen unless the players can be properly tested before and after the game.

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You haven't addressed a critical issue here: how to account for the unfair advantage Indianapolis will have with artificial crowd noise technology and experience.

Free agency was fun even though some social media heros like Florio were advocating against it. The draft will be a welcomed distraction, and hopefully they move forward with some form of season if they think it's safe, empty stadiums or whatever.

Froob said:

MLB is planning to move past the season if they have to cancel and guys lose the year of their contract. That could happen here.

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This would be even more helpful. Just skip to 2021...

I'm thinking a short season that starts late and attendance is going to take a massive hit.

The season is already behind and you can't just start things up in Aug or Sept and jump into it. I would be surprised.

Actually, thinking about this... it's going to be interesting... does any other sport except maybe wrestling/fighting have more close contact? It will start late if it does but there is also a theory that we are going to have a second wave in the fall and if we do, the season is over. It's a very complicated situation for the NFL. Goodell might have to actually earn his pay this year.

I’ve found making predictions re:the virus quite simple really. I always choose the worst case scenario. Hasn’t really failed me yet.

No season.

betterthanthealternative said:

In addition to @mgteich 's comments, if we pull apart "cyclical" there may be some other reasons to be hopeful.

By August, we should have readily available testing for both "do you have it now?" as well as "have you had it already?" (live virus vs. antibodies). What if we find that a significant portion of the population has had it already (and had little or no symptoms, as the Iceland study seems to indicate is happening)?

There's an opportunity at that point to do successive rounds of social distancing with more vertical targeting (just those demographics that have proven vulnerable enough to need hospitalization). People who have already had it are free to go back to work and engage fully in social interactions. That might put at least a few fans in the stadiums. It could certainly open the restaurants, mass transit, etc.

And yes, people who have the antibodies would need some kind of highly visible indicator, which will be a bit creepy.

Just thinking out loud here.

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We do need to verify that having it once gives you immunity. That is now being tested extensively in Asia.

FirstAndGoal said:

Actually, thinking about this... it's going to be interesting... does any other sport except maybe wrestling/fighting have more close contact? It will start late if it does but there is also a theory that we are going to have a second wave in the fall and if we do, the season is over. It's a very complicated situation for the NFL. Goodell might have to actually earn his pay this year.

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Please explain the danger of playing if every player (and staff member) is tested upon entering the playing facility and test again upon leaving? Does the closeness of contact for those who don't have the virus matter?

Bella*chick said:

I’ve found making predictions re:the virus quite simple really. I always choose the worst case scenario. Hasn’t really failed me yet.

No season.

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Yeah really. I’ve been amazed and depressed that at virtually every forking point the timeline takes the worst fork.