Tom Brady donning the Tampa Bay Buccaneers uniform for the first time. Joe Burrow showing his stuff as the No. 1-overall pick. Patrick Mahomes proving that his Super Bowl MVP is just the beginning.
Yes, the NFL is back.
Oh, how we’ve missed the gridiron. But it’s not exactly the same product we’re used to. Things have changed, and not just because of Covid-19. Here’s what you can expect from the 2020 NFL season and its schedule.
Stands Will Be (Almost) Empty
The NFL is an event, the tailgating, the cheesy mascot, the cheerleaders, the pre-game activities, you name it. What drives all the fun stuff, however, will largely be missing: the fans.
Most teams have opted for empty arenas, in light of the pandemic. The Chiefs did open roughly 22% of capacity for opening night, but compared to what we’re used to, it’s akin to a ghost town.
Don’t expect this to change anytime soon. The country is still grappling with infections, political disagreement about the best way to tackle the pandemic, uncertainties from fans, the works.
The sidelines will also not feature what we’re used to. Cheerleaders won’t be cheering, mascots won’t be doing their thing, and sideline reporters are also banned for now.
Hold On, Why Isn’t Duvernay-Tardif Playing?
Last season, Chiefs RG Laurent Duvernay-Tardif was starring in the Super Bowl. This year, he won’t even feature in a regular season game. He’s decided to opt out of the year, citing Covid-19 as the reason.
The Chiefs star is not the only one. Another sixty-five players have opted out of the season, including Shon Coleman of the SF 49ers, Josh Doctson of the NY Jets, and Malcolm Pridgeon of the Cleveland Browns.
While most players have decided to don their uniforms as normal, sixty-five is not an insignificant number. So if you realize one of your favorite players is not on the roster, it could be something other than an injury or coach’s decision.
Social Justice Will be Front and Center
Like it or not (and plenty do not), social justice issues will be part of the highlight reel in the NFL this season. The league is seriously pushing what it previously ignored, planning initiatives, adding helmet decals, encouraging voter activation, adding tag lines like “End Racism” and “It Takes All of Us”.
The NFl is also going to add “Lift Ev’ry Voice And Sing” to the traditional Star-Spangled Banner, with the song being a civil right rallying cry for decades. It’s been known as the “black national anthem”, and the league is trying to underline its support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
However, expect controversy. Some fans are complaining that politics shouldn’t enter the gridiron, others want the league to do more, and many players believe the NFL is merely adding “fluff and empty gestures” to social justice issues. Mud is going to be thrown, that’s for sure.
American Football: Now Not Just American
It’s not an overstatement to say the NFL dominates American sports. But early television figures for the new season are showing that football is now reaching beyond its national borders, and is becoming a force to be reckoned with worldwide. And 2020 may become a landmark year for the NFL in this regard, pandemic or not.
The NFL is even reaching places where American football was almost insignificant in the past, such as Mexico and the United Kingdom. NFL-led initiatives such as the London Games (unfortunately cancelled in 2020 due to Covid-19) have helped the surge in popularity.
And it’s also growing in popularity in Arab countries, with fans excitedly purchasing NFL gear, paying for television subscriptions to watch games at crazy hours, and even partaking in another American tradition, putting in a sports bet on one of the popular sports like horse or camel racing.
It’s fair to say that American football is no longer just American. It’s becoming a global juggernaut, and while Covid-19 is a serious bump in the road, fans have been excited to enjoy sporting events as an escape from the harsh realities of 2020.
Major Changes to This Season
Sure, the NFL kicked off the season on time. And that’s nothing to be sniffed at, especially considering the circumstances. Professional sports leagues around the world have struggled to stick to any sort of fixed schedule.
But that doesn’t mean the NFL is out of the woods. It’s likely that the pandemic will lead to major changes to the season, whether it’s in terms of fan attendance, venues, and dates moving around last-minute. It’s all up in the air.
There’s one thing we can all be happy about though. The NFL is back, and in the midst of a pandemic-led world, that’s something all sports fans should be happy about.