The Impact of COVID 19 on Sports and Social Cohesion
Photo by Fabricio Trujillo from Pexels
There’s no running away from the fact that sports are a major part of every economy across the globe. Not only do they contribute to social development but they are also pivotal for the financial strength of a country. According to the Political Declaration of 2030 from the United Nations Office of Sport for Development and Peace, sports contribute to the lives of young people and empower women. Furthermore, because they are a concrete part of most sectors across the globe, you will frequently come across sports being connected with education, social cohesion, and health. However, when COVID-19 debuted in the world, it shattered every industry.
One of the leading disadvantages to the world was when the sports industry got affected. The sudden lockdown in many parts of the world caused the sports industry to face a major setback. So as the sports fan couldn’t get to see live matches from their homes, everyone was found in despair. The reason why there is so much emphasis on sports is because they contribute to the better health of individuals. Not to forget, as people march toward the future, the number of diseases has increased as well. People are concerned about their physical health and want to indulge In this part of their lives.
The Impact of the Coronavirus on Sports Environment
In order to safeguard the health of sportsmen and athletes, national and international matches were canceled. People were restrained to their homes and national players had to stay indoors as well. Regional tournaments, local matches, and all of the stadiums were shut down. Beginning from the baseball games to marathons, the world witnessed some of the most intriguing sports events getting canceled. For the first time this century, the Olympics and Paralympics got cancelled as well. This is when the sports fans got to know that it would take a lot of time for them to enjoy what they’ve always had a lot of love for.
The net worth of the sports industry is estimated to be around $748 billion, according to analysis by Sports Value. However, when COVID-19 hit the world, several thousands of people lost their jobs. Not only the sports professionals but also the ones running the shots behind the scenes had to miss out on several opportunities. Keep in mind, thousands of people every year join this industry to make money out of it. So for people who just started their careers in the sports world they weren’t lucky enough because they had to stay at home without making anything out of this world. Furthermore, as sportsmen were forced to stay at home, they frequently registered complaints regarding mental health issues.
A person whose life is on the ground will anyways have difficulty in restraining themselves within the four walls of the house. As people come across the pressure of professional sports, they have strong reasons to come back with the same spirit. Now that the NFL mock draft is out, people are excited to experience sports again running through their homes. Although the coronavirus is still prevalent in most parts of the world, everyone is hopeful that the vaccine will show an upward trend. Apart from the economic repercussions, the cancellation of several games led to massive losses. Because fans are emotionally connected with a lot of games, the sudden cancellation left them in a rage.
It is expected that the improvement in the lives of vaccine receivers will pave the way for the sports industry to shine yet again. Although much research and planning is still underway, let’s see what the future unfolds for everyone in terms of the sports industry.