Good Evening Sportsfans. As the Coronavirus extends its worldwide visit, not everything in the world is returning to normalcy quickly. As sports leagues reached their seasons, some passed them boy. Some delayed their seasons until later, and then began with no fans. Major League Baseball began in the States a last month, for a two month season leading up to the playoffs. Tonight, the National Football Leagues returns in the United States (and Canada, maybe, at times). Although the preseason was cut out, so teams are starting green with their opening games, tonight will be a season unlike any of the previous 100. Perhaps it is appropriate that the NFL starts this momentous year in a different way from most modern ones. When the NFL began 100 years ago, the nation was still reeling from the effects of the Spanish Flu and the First World Wa As the NFL returns to play tonight in Kansas City, the country is suffering from a Summer of riots, and from so many deaths caused by the Coronavirus. When the NFL started, it began in out of the way burgs like Canton, Ohio, Rock Island, Decatur and Peru, Illinois. Today, the world remains primarily an American game, with an influences which extends throughout the world. “This has been, by all accounts, a very strange year,” said Cris Collinsworth, an analyst for NBC’s “Sunday Night Football.” “We all understand there is a lot going on in the world. … But to get anything back to normal … it just feels good.” Kansas City is a place where in person attendance is allowed, so only 22% of Arrowhead Stadium capacity is allowed, that is 18,000 lucky fans. All will wear masks and be at a social distance, presumably allowed to sit with their own. At least 26 teams will start the season without any fans in their stadiums, including the Minneapolis based Minnesota Vikings, within driving distance , who open against the Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday. Minneapolis has been the center of great controversy this Summer, after the tragic death of George Floyd at the hands of the police. Scheduled are 256 regular-season NFL games, 12 playoff games and Super Bowl LV scheduled for Tampa, Florida, on Feb. 7. European Soccer Leagues have restarted, Baseball continues apace, and even the Tour de France has started and continued without incident throughout another COVID ravaged country. The NFL starts the season with great optimism, and the expectation that it can do it all, stay safe and healthy, and maybe heal some divisions along the way. Along the way, There should be some surprises. The three teams which have oddly gravitated around a stadium-less Los Angeles the last few seasons, now, once again, will have a stadium to play in. The Oakland\LA Raiders have shaken the dust of SoCal off their feet and found their new home in Las Vegas. The San Diego/LA Chargers and LA/St. Louis/LA Rams will remain in Los Angeles, in their new shared home in Inglewood, California. 67 players have opted out of play this season, as allowed by their NFL contracts. The play will either be sloppier in September, or better. Several players are contending they are in the better condition than ever before, more sharp, more focused. It will be interesting to see who does better this year, Bill Belichick coach of the New England Patriots, or his former longstanding Quarterback, Tom Brady, now playing in Tampa. The playoff field has been expanded by 2 teams, with even more wild card games, so many more fans will be satisfied their teams have made the playoffs. How the season will play out is a mystery, but one we are excited to greet. As Always, Eric http://speedorex.blogspot.com/ -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "omnisport" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/omnisport/1612306753.856033.1599773680308%40mail.yahoo.com.
