In an article published in April on the Parnassus website, former Parnassus sports writer Elijah Hudson foresaw what has come to pass:  “Seasons are postponed indefinitely. Players are in quarantine. Avid fans everywhere are left without their favorite team playing. Some fans might not be affected, such as football fans, but virtually every other major sport has seen a significant change in their schedules. An event like this is the first of its kind, and now, fans everywhere have to sit for hours without watching live sports.” 

Over five months ago quarantine began with sports being either completely cancelled, or largely regulated.  Now that spring and summer have passed, and fall has begun, sporting events are once again starting up.

Baseball played a shortened 60-game schedule, much smaller than their regular 162.  The shortened season that started July 23, is scheduled to finish Sept. 27, with a different postseason than normal starting on Sept. 29.

Despite missing most of the cancellations, College football will look very different this year.  Most conferences are playing in-conference only.  This forces some teams, like Notre Dame, to join conferences, such as the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference), or risk missing a season.  The Big Ten is currently expected to begin games Oct 24, with a measly eight games.  The college football playoffs are currently scheduled to happen, but plans are still tentative.

The NFL started their season on Sept. 10 to the excitement of many.  The lone Thursday game, between the Chiefs and the Texans, stirred up football fans for the Sunday schedule boasting 13 games.  The NFL plans to have a close to regular season, with a postseason.  The Super Bowl is planned for Feb. 7, at Tampa Bay, Florida.  

Sports fans were saddened to lose many important events, including March Madness and the NFL preseason.  But now things have turned around, and schedules have returned with some semblance to normal.  While many are still perturbed about what was missed, others such as Mr. Painter are just happy “to sit back and watch football again all Sunday.”