March 28, 2024

Life without sports

No March Madness. No NCAA Wrestling Championships. No more spring seasons at the collegiate level.

Things have certainly turned for the worse when it comes to COVID-19.

To be honest, when we first started hearing about it, I didn’t know how to take it. Some people were saying it was no big deal. The rest were buying out all the toilet paper at every store in town.

The start of the MLB season has been pushed back. The NBA and NHL seasons have been suspended. The NFL Draft announced it wasn’t doing a live TV event this year. NASCAR has suspended its season. The Masters and Kentucky Derby have been postponed.

The Drake Relays is the most recent event to be postponed.

I was supposed to be glued to my TV watching Madness unfold yesterday. But it’s not about me. None of this is.

I’ve always been the person who has tried to be realistic with this situation. I haven’t let it affect my personal life too much. I have spent more time at home though.

It seems like every day we get a new cancellation or update on the situation.

Area schools are now closed until mid April. I will have my family around during the day for a lot longer than we originally thought when Spring Break started last Friday.

The high school spring seasons are in jeopardy. I keep telling myself that it will all be over soon but it does now seem to be never ending.

Will we have a spring sports season at all? When will the MLB season get going? Will the NBA and NHL finish their seasons?

No one knows yet. And tomorrow will probably bring more cancellations.

I think we all should take proper precautions, but I hate to see anyone panic. That’s not going to make things any better.

Washing my hands has never been an issue. I wash them all the time. Using hand santizer has been more in my daily routine. I used it between every set at the gym the other day and made sure to not only wipe down the benches and seats but I also wiped off the hand grips on the dumbbells.

Anytime Fitness first announced it was staying open because its smaller and doesn’t have more than 20 people inside the building at one time.

But the government forced closures on all fitness centers, theaters, casinos, churches and bars. Restaurants are closed to dine-in patrons but can still have carry out, drive through and delivery sevices.

I don’t have answers as to what is best for all of us. My family and I have done a good job of staying home.

Being home and not covering events for work has allowed me to catch up on some movies. I watch more Netflix right now. And my relaxation numbers are way up.

Movies at Redbox are less than $2 so I checked Ford vs. Ferrari and Bombshell off my list the other day. I hope to knock out some other ones nominated for Best Picture this past year.

I don’t know when things will settle down. President Trump said in a recent press conference that the worst of this might not be over until July or August.

That would put summer sports in jeopardy in my opinion.

I hope for the sake of the seniors in the area that we have at least a modified spring season. It’s already condensed so I have no clue how to modify it more but getting some kind of season in would be better than nothing.

The baseball and softball seasons haven’t been affected yet. Hopefully things calm down at least a little by then.

My daughter is not old enough for graduation and prom to matter yet. But those are two events at our area schools that also are in jeopardy. That would make a lot of folks disappointed I am sure.

I am struggling the most with not being able to get inside my fitness center regularly. It’s something that has been part of my life for a long time.

My daughter and I have done a few workouts together in my basement. She seems to enjoy that time together. And I would like her to be as healthy as possible so us starting this up is going to be beneficial for both of us.

In the meantime, I will try to pass the rest of my time in the best ways I can. Let’s all get through this together. It will be tough, but Americans have gotten through much worse.

Contact Troy Hyde
at thyde@newtondailynews.com