How Covid-19 has affected America’s pastime

 Written by: Joseph Cuomo, guest writer

Baseball Without Fans? What A Pandemic Summer Season Could Look Like | On  Point

Major League Baseball has gone through a lot to make this interesting season happen. According to CBS Sports, the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic has roiled every layer of society and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future and Major League Baseball has been no exception. Now, the only thing certain about the 2020 season is the uncertainty surrounding it. What follows is a timeline of how the outbreak has affected MLB, which not so long ago was providing us with the comfortable routines and assumptions of spring training.Timeline of how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the 2020 Major League Baseball season

Based on  MLB season begins: Coronavirus revenue loss, player pay and other key facts to know, MLB organizations are expected to take a crucial financial hit from the pandemic. Games will be played without fans in attendance for the foreseeable future, and players will undergo rigorous health screenings and follow strict safety protocols to limit the risk of exposure to COVID-19.

MLB's breakdown in coronavirus testing is unacceptable

Major League Baseball’s season is one month old and nearly 40 games have been postponed due to positive coronavirus cases. The Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals have both dealt with team-wide outbreaks. Both the Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets have had multiple games postponed because of positive tests. 

“The health and safety protocols were designed with a challenging circumstance like the one facing the Marlins in mind,” MLB said. “The response outlined in the joint MLB-MLBPA Operations Manual was triggered immediately upon learning of the cluster of positive cases, including contact tracing and the quarantining and testing of all of the identified close contacts. The Marlins’ personnel who tested positive remain in isolation and are receiving care.” MLB will try to make up all postponed games later in the season via doubleheaders and eliminating off-days. COVID-19 carries up to a 14-day incubation period, the time from exposure to development of symptoms, with a median of five days. Commissioner Rob Manfred said Aug. 1 there was “no reason to quit” the 2020 MLB season and noted the league would move forward.   https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-schedule-has-33-total-games-postponed-due-to-positive-covid-19-cases/  

Dayton Daily News reported that manager David Bell learned a Cincinnati Reds player had tested positive for COVID-19 just before the final pitch Friday. President of Baseball Operations Dick Williams before Bell heard the news about the test. Reds president praises MLB protocols for minimizing COVID-19 spread

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USA Today shared revised protocols which include players and staff to wear face coverings at all times, including the dugout and clubhouse, with the exception of players on the field. This includes all coaches on the field and every member of the umpiring crew. They must also wear face coverings at all times in the hotel and in public places on the road. 

Clubs now are required to reduce the size of their traveling parties to only personnel who are absolutely essential to playing games. On road trips, clubs must provide a minimum of four buses, with a fully unoccupied row between players and staff members, while prohibiting side-by-side seating. On planes, players and staff members are prohibited from having more than two individuals in a row, and they can not sit across from one another. All clubs now are required to provide outdoor, covered spaces for all visiting players and staff members to sit. While at home, players and staff members are strictly prohibited from visiting bars, lounges, malls, or places in which large groups gather. Major League Baseball revises COVID-19 safety protocols

MLB season suddenly in jeopardy after COVID outbreak on Miami Marlins

Xaviernewswire.com says that Commissioner Rob Manfred has blamed the outbreaks on “deviations” from the given protocol, and it will be a group effort from the players and staff to continue practicing the specific and healthy protocols if they want to finish the 2020 season. MLB struggles to keep afloat amidst COVID-19

 Joseph Cuomo, senior communication major, is a guest writer for the Bryan Triangle. Joseph was born in Lakeland, Florida and moved to Canton, Georgia when he was six. He plays varsity baseball at Bryan College. He enjoys spending with his family, playing golf, traveling, and spending time with his girlfriend, Anna.