American Sports Organizations Should Be Watching China Very Closely
It may not be all that easy to open the sports faucet again in the United States as China might provide a cautionary tale. All sporting events in Beijing have been shut down after an outbreak of COVID-19 in the city. The Chinese Basketball Association planned to restart its season on June 20th. Soccer’s Chinese Super League’s Beijing squad has had a number of matches postponed or canceled. The National Basketball Association reportedly was keeping an eye on how the Chinese Basketball Association was handling getting back onto the court and what proper protocol would be for playing in that league. The Chinese Basketball Association has established two bubble sites in the northern and southern parts of the country. The NBA wants to open training camps in July and start the season at the end of July on Walt Disney World property near Orlando. Major League Soccer is also preparing for the restart of its season on a different part of the World Disney World site. The National Hockey League is eyeing July 10 as a return to ice for training camp date.
The PGA Tour got back into action last week in Fort Worth, Texas and all apparently went well despite an uptick in COVID-19 cases in that state. The PGA stop did not have any customers in attendance. The next PGA event is in Hilton Head, South Carolina and that is another state that has seen a rise in COVID-19 cases. Golfers are already in Hilton Head. Golfers and caddies were tested for COVID-19 prior to the Fort Worth event and tested negative. There will be no spectators at the Hilton Head tournament. Horse racing has a big weekend ahead as the Belmont Stakes will be run in New York. Slowly but surely sports are returning in the United States but with COVID-19 not leaving, shutdowns are possible.
