It has been a long month for sports fans ever since sports leagues and tournaments were first suspended due to the Coronavirus. Now with the virus on a downward slope, President Trump says sports will resume soon, but probably in a made for TV format and without fans.
Trump told the media at one of his recent Coronavirus press conferences that he is tired of watching old baseball games and that we have to get sports back soon. He also announced that he was organizing a group of sports officials that will help determine when it is safe for sports to return. The group includes some of the most notable sport organization figures, including multiple league commissioners, Condoleezza Rice, Vince McMahon, and many others.
The Coronavirus has hit the United States especially hard, and until recently, most states were on lockdown. This upcoming weekend several states (Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee) are going to start allowing some public gatherings either at restaurants, bars, or beaches. Other states have also begun allowing public gatherings, including Florida, who opened up their beaches last week.
So far, there have been 802,583 confirmed Coronavirus cases in the United States. New York has experienced the most extensive spread, with 251,690 cases in their state alone. Across all the states, there have been 46,013 deaths that have resulted from the pandemic.
Basketball was the first sport to suspend their season. The NBA suspended, and soon after, the NCAA canceled their championships and March Madness tournament. Other sporting leagues soon followed suit with the NBA and NCAA.
Due to the suspensions and cancellations, betting on the NBA and other sports has been put on hold. Now that it seems like President Trump believes sports are essential, we are hoping to see a return to action sooner than later.
Online sportsbooks that allow 18 and over players have been supplementing their revenue by offering lines on sports sims, eSports, and virtual sports to help bettors through these tough times. Each of those options carries their own weight, but for many seasoned bettors, the new ground isn’t always as fertile.
President Trump has recently said that deciding when to open the country will be the biggest decision he ever made and that he wants to get the country open as soon as he can. This development is great news for sports bettors as it seems sports are of great importance to the President.