Sports and Sickness

News broke today that the NCAA plans to hold its men’s and women’s tournaments without fans present due to the risk of COVID-19 transmission. The virus, commonly referred to as the Coronavirus, is considered too much of a threat for the NCAA to allow fans to attend the games. NCAA President Mark Emmert’s statement was very specific about the NCAA Board of Governors’ concerns. “I have made the decision to conduct our upcoming championship events, including the Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, with only essential staff and limited family attendance. While I understand how disappointing this is for all fans of our sports, my decision is based on the current understanding of how COVID-19 is progressing in the United States. This decision is in the best interest of public health, including that of coaches, administrators, fans and, most importantly, our student-athletes.”

The announcement from the NCAA came in tandem with an announcement from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine banning spectators from games, specifically the NCAA Men’s tournament kickoff game to be played in Dayton. “The order will be that there cannot be spectators there. There certainly will be people — there will be TV people, there can be radio people there, there can be sports writers, certainly can be the media there. But we’re not going to have the large crowd.” In another statement DeWine was blunt about his perspective - “Ohioans have to understand what the facts are, that any gathering of people in close proximity to each other is dangerous.” DeWine’s announcement is one in a series of large-scale bans being implemented by local municipalities in the face of the rapidly spreading pandemic. Schools across the country have either cancelled classes or moved classes online, in an effort to slow the progress of the disease.

Soccer Reacts

The soccer world in other countries is ramping up their efforts to curtail the spread of COVID-19, particularly in Italy, where matches have been played in front of empty seats. La Liga officials made the aggressive decision to suspend the league for the rest of the month, in hopes of the situation coming under control by early April. In the United States, Seattle Sounders, in a state heavily affected by the outbreak, just announced the postponement of their next home game, due to a request from the governor. The USL affiliate of the Sounders, Tacoma Defiance, will play their next match behind closed doors.

So where does that leave the subject of our coverage, the grassroots soccer leagues across the country? We’ve reached out to several of the leagues we cover and only the UPSL has responded officially. A spokesperson for the league gave this statement: “The UPSL is staying flexible but following USASA guidance on this. That said, games are currently scheduled to be played this weekend.” We left a message at the USASA National Office for Duncan Riddle, executive director, but haven’t heard back at the time of publication (should he respond, this article will be updated).

The NPSL, for their part, sent out a memo to their clubs which included a statement from Cindy Spera, NPSL Managing Director, “With the increase of reported CoVid-19 (“coronavirus”) around the country, our main priority is the safety and health of our players, coaches, and staff. Our 2020 NPSL season has started matches on the West coast, and nationally, our teams are preparing for US Open Cup and holding tryouts and pre-season training sessions. We would like to recommend that our teams adopt best practices in order to minimize the chance of exposure.” Included with this memo was a list of potential approaches clubs could take to limit risk. While there was a general section on general approaches, there was also a section for soccer specific approaches which included:

Anyone (player, staff member, coach, etc.) who is feverish should not participate and stay at home.
Avoid handshakes - use fist bumps or elbow touches with players, coaches, staff, and referees.
Avoid all spitting - including on the ground as players may come in contact. Coaches should remind players not to spit.
Ensure that athletic trainers are prompt to give them extra time to address any concerns.
Ensure that trainers have adequate supplies - especially gloves and antibacterial supplies such as sanitizer, alcohol pads, and soap products.
Have extra balls on hand. If a ball goes into the stands, disinfect the ball before putting it back in play. The home team is advised to wipe down balls with alcohol or disinfectant at half time.
Suspend autograph signings as it is a risk to pass items back and forth.
Display attached sign / infographic in your training facility on game day in locker rooms, bathrooms, and food areas.

The sign mentioned in the final item is a sign that MLS created for their clubs. The NPSL received permission to include and post the sign for their players and staff.

The Difficult, but Right Path

It seems clear that banning large gatherings of people makes sense, especially when we think of the potential contact each attendee could have in their everyday lives. While most adults and children are relatively safe in the event of infection, there is still a statistical chance of serious illness or death. And for older adults (70+) or those with compromised immune systems, the threat is much more serious and often fatal. No person should ignore the risk to those of our community that could not survive this disease, regardless of their own health. Everyone has a grandmother, grandfather, or some other family member or friend who could run the risk of death, should they become infected with COVID-19.

So should leagues cancel matches or play the matches without a viewing audience? It seems obvious they should do something aggressive, particularly when members of the crowd could run the risk of infecting each other. Obviously in some regional or local leagues, crowds aren’t really a concern, but even the players may run the risk of infection. The virus is still contagious even before symptoms begin to manifest, so a player may not feel sick on matchday even though they could be infecting those around. Luckily, most of the NPSL and UPSL aren’t playing league matches yet, leaving the league the chance to wait and see. However, in those leagues most of California is already up and rolling and NISA is already in Week 3 of action this weekend, with important home openers scheduled in Chattanooga and Detroit in the next couple of weeks, where large crowds should be expected. With streaming via Youtube or Mycujoo easily accessible for their fans to watch the matches, why run the risk of spreading the disease?

Dealing with a public health threat requires concern, intelligence, scientific facts, and a willingness to sacrifice. It seems clear that now is the time to take drastic steps, but rather or not teams and leagues will take those steps remains to be seen. Fans will certainly be opposed to any action that restricts their access to their clubs, but doing what’s best for the weakest in our society is the most important decision any league or organization could make. Either postpone the games or restrict access and stream the matches, it’s the right thing to do at this important moment.

- Dan Vaughn

When we hear back from any official, we’ll update this article.