In-Depth
Sports calendar: Falling into place
Many questions remain, but it’s clear that the autumn sports calendar of 2020 will be unlike any in history. Here’s a look at the schedule and plans for beyond.
Start preparing for sensory overload in the sports world.
With the calendar about to flip to the fall months, games and events will soon be upon us like never before, all condensed in a short time period. Accompanying all of them will be unfamiliar September images — everything from virtual and cardboard cutout fans to mostly empty stadiums — and a fresh batch of unique and critical questions confronting each league.
Challenges abound and vary greatly.
For baseball, it’s how to create the most secure bubble environment to maximize its chances of finishing a shortened 60-game season by crowning a World Series champion. The NHL and NBA look to continue the success of their respective bubbles while preparing for how the pandemic will affect next season.
Tennis is navigating a mostly international schedule after the U.S. Open as it looks to complete the ATP and WTA seasons. Motorsports plans to continue being one of the few sports competing with live audiences. And golf will be without spectators for now, including at the Masters in November.
Finally, there’s football, the sport most synonymous with autumn. The nation’s most robust league, the NFL, plows ahead while three of college football’s Power Five conferences attempt to salvage some semblance of a season.
Prepare to be awash in sports, even as they appear entirely different from how they’ve looked in the past. They promise to be exhilarating and comforting, dizzying and disorienting … all at once.
A bubble for postseason baseball?
Horse racing: Defying the odds
Prospects for a 16-game NFL schedule
NASCAR and fans in the stands
Tennis has added stress of international travel
Hockey leagues look toward next season
Will fans return to NBA, WNBA arenas next season?
An eye on MLS returning to home markets
Golf dealing with loss of hospitality revenue
