Most of the sports world has been put on pause during the coronavirus pandemic. There are still some leagues plowing through, but it will be weeks before the likes of the Premier League, Major League Soccer, La Liga, the Bundesliga, and Serie A all return. It’s unlikely the NWSL will start on time. Euro 2020 could be delayed until 2021. There’s all sorts of things to figure out with regards to World Cup Qualifiers and other international tournaments.
As an editor, you are wired to expect the unexpected. You might say that you didn’t sign up for this, but this didn’t have a form to sign. At the very least, it’s another challenge as an editor. I need to figure out how to keep the website interesting as we wait for the all clear to resume soccer. One way to do that is to write an editorial that could double as a public service announcement.
We don’t know when that will be. We can all hope it will be sometime in April for all the aforementioned leagues. It would help if all people concerned abide by the recommendations of their appropriate health authorities, wash their hands, maintain a safe distance socially, keep calm, and carry on, etc. Then, maybe we will see the games resume in April.
We are all in this together. Viruses such as COVID-19 do not discriminate between countries, ethnicities, age groups, religions, or political leanings. Millions could ultimately be infected, but maybe less if the proper measures are taken.
I don’t have all the answers as to what to do to bide the time; but some examples include talking to friends (you can in person, but do so with caution), watch reruns of your favorite show (or match), do a mental or physical exercise, check on elders or other friends who may be more at risk during this time, watch a funny or heartwarming video (can’t go wrong with cats!), anything that makes you feel good about yourself.
You don’t need to shut down like everything appears to be doing right now. Don’t hoard all the groceries either. Just get what you need for a week or so and try to conserve where possible. The grocery store, drug store, and bank are not going to suddenly close. Things are dark now, but the light will come back on eventually and the games will come back. And so will we be back in our respective positions in the press box and on the pitch taking the photos of the beautiful game.
