The shut-down of the A-League and National Rugby League brought an end to the last sporting codes in Australia that had played on with empty stadiums as society continues to deal with the global impact of the coronavirus.
The acceleration of the virus over the last couple of weeks, especially in countries such as Australia, has brought society to a standstill as governments look to reduce the spread of the virus. Sport has been hit by the coronavirus in a way that has never been seen before. From the professional game down to the grassroots level, participation has ceased, with countries going into lock-down.
Sporting bodies around the world are now faced with the unprecedented situation of how competitions and seasons will be finished within the current climate. Playing in empty stadiums has been mooted if or when these competitions are able to re-start.
Kyah Simon – a member of the Melbourne City team that won the W-League title behind closed doors against Sydney FC last weekend – described the experience: “like listening to music with no bass”. The financial implications of these shutdowns on sporting bodies is also being felt through both the broadcast and sponsorship dollars as well as the inability to receive gate receipts.
Players at European football clubs such as Bayern Munich, Juventus and Borussia Dortmund have all waived parts of their salaries to help employees of the club avoid economic disadvantages during the coronavirus pandemic. The importance of community and helping those most affected by the virus has been one of the few positives to come out of this global pandemic.
Former Manchester United and England right back Gary Neville recently gave up beds in his hotel in order to accommodate British health staff, while Australian cricketer Moises Henriques and his wife Krista created the so-called Cart Buddy initiative, which helps those who are unable to access essential supermarkets and pharmacy products. These are examples of bright spots in these uncertain times.
The coronavirus, though, has also highlighted and reinforced the gaps that exist within our society, and this is shown no more clearly than in sport. This is no more paramount than in the impact on grassroots and semi-professional sporting clubs that are dependent on the contributions of the community and help from volunteers.
(Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images)
The football pyramid in England has showcased this alarming gap as the future of teams lower down the pyramid are now unsure of their long-term viability. Clubs such as League Two Macclesfield Town face an unsure future as their financial status has been thrown into further uncertainty. Clubs that depend on game-day receipts are now facing the prospect of months without an income, which helps run the club and pay its players.
The shutdown of sport has a detrimental effect on our society. The weekend routines of following your favourite team and supporting something that brings communities together is now not there. The ability for people to gather and participate in something that is able to be communicated across languages has now been taken away by a pandemic that does not discriminate.
The financial status of sporting codes has now been thrown into disarray with the National Rugby League facing an uncertain future if the current season cannot be finished. Sydney-based clubs lost about $12 million between them in the last annual report.
This time of lock-down and social distancing does however potentially present an opportunity for not only society to come together but for the sporting community to help those most affected by these unclear economic times.
Waverley Old Boys FC’s over-35s have begun a campaign #PlayForLives helped by former AFL Sydney Swans star Adam Goodes and SBS sports analyst and former Socceroo Craig Foster, wherein individuals from the team help the most affected within their own communities. This needs to be the message to all sporting codes and sporting organisations: the need to come together for the greater good has never been more important than now.
Sport will survive out of this. Yes, there may be changes to our sporting landscape in the future as society grapples with the length and impact of the coronavirus. Sport is not bigger than life and death as emphasised by countries such as Spain, which have experienced a death toll of over 500 people in the last 24 hours from the coronavirus.
Sport is an important part of the world we live in but in times like these it must forgo its own individual gains for the greater good of a global community, which needs to come together to help each other out if we are to move past this pandemic.
Franko
Guest
Could not agree more Nem. I hope there is an enormous recalibration. Hopefully when we return players and clubs can more closely represent their communities.
Nemesis
Guest
Grassroots clubs are run far more efficiently than the big professional clubs. Just like the corner store would be run more efficiently than Myer or David Jones. Lower overheads, every dollar that goes out is scrutinised. Every procurement deal is scrutinised to ensure money is saved. I've got no worries about grassroots & community clubs surviving. I expect the sporting clubs higher up the revenue ladder in each sport will struggle. And the sporting comps with the most bloated expense accounts who have been throwing money at loss-making expansion strategies will be extremely hard hit. I recall people coming to football discussions saying: AFL's expansion is a long play. AFL has never-ending cash to subsidise loss-making franchises for 30-40 years. Bet we won't hear such nonsense any more.
Tacko
Guest
The two big questions I have are How will those small clubs and grass root sports survive.... and how will this effect the overall competition As you look back at all the great teams in our sporting history you think that they would not be there without the help of those “lower level club” you would not have a Ronaldo without Sporting, you wouldn’t have a Neymar without a Santos. These “lower level club” are the reason we have the athletes of today. This is where the development happens. Without this we would not have a starting point. The real thing to think about is how the sporting world will react and if they will support each other at these times. The support is needed to allow for this growth. You can always argue that if this economic uncertainty leads to some club folding the competition will be hurt. There is no Celtics without the lakers, no Yankees without the Red Sox’s. How will this situation effect the competition as we know it. These are uncertain times without a clear answer in which time will only tell
Stevo
Roar Rookie
This is a very interesting paper written in 2007 on the economic consequences of the Spanish flu with commentary on whether we are prepared for a modern day pandemic. https://www.stlouisfed.org/~/media/files/pdfs/community-development/research-reports/pandemic_flu_report.pdf
Kanggas2
Roar Rookie
Good comment Kafka I certainly have spent a lot of time researching and working with those who suffer from the inequity in our country . Can this be some kind of reset or will greed take over once again.
Stevo
Roar Rookie
"But, the purity of
footballsport –11 players & a ballwill always be a constant." That's not in doubt, for as long as humans have been around there were always games of some sort or description played/invented to entertain, amuse and challenge.Nick Symonds
Guest
FOX SPORTS: Coronavirus cost Europe’s top leagues $7.5 billion in three weeks. Half of French clubs could go broke “The five major European championships have already lost four billion euros ($A7.5bn); the French championship between 500 to 600 million ($A930m to $A1.12bn).” - Bernard Caiazzo - https://www.foxsports.com.au/football/ligue-1/coronavirus-premier-league-news-football-update-la-liga-serie-a-bundesliga-ligue-1/news-story/f1d670851f0625df3153e002a2636576
Nemesis
Guest
Sport doesn't need to rally. Sport just needs to go back to being sport. Since the advent of PayTv the top tier of sport seem to have lost its way. The people involved (players, administrators, coaches, everyone) has become consumed by money. They choose contracts purely based on money. They make administrative decisions, including how to structure competitions, driven by money. Only a few weeks ago, UEFA was looking to ruin the purity of sport by creating a partially closed competition UCL to ensure big money clubs always qualify even when they fail on-field. There's no doubt COVID19 will be a wake up call. Clubs will be ruined. Comps will be restructured. But, the purity of football - 11 players & a ball will always be a constant.
Stevo
Roar Rookie
Hmmm, you made me turn to my bookshelf and grab the book by Reiner Stach, "KAFKA, The years of insight." Thanks. And yes, agree with you - but I'll have a closer scrutiny of your words :laughing:
Kafka
Guest
Sport finds itself, as with the rest of humanity, ‘lost in a wood so dark , the way forward blotted out’... as much by its own excesses as any single pandemic. In time it may lead to some good as the regeneration of the air we breathe and waters of the world we frequent as witnessed in Venice... and a ‘sporting world’ frequented by less narcissism. Well done Sebastian in documenting some of the lateral initiatives called of us as sporting people at this time of recalibration of our species ... & and as Johnny Warren said, ‘Real Football (sporting) people will do anything and anytime for the football (General) community.’ Sadly, as much as I wish things were different , present circumstances do make me reflect ,in the light of the rarified and pampered life of some elite sportspeople and members of the general public ‘endure’ with their discrete financial investments and uncapped negative geared properties in a world of growing inequity( three developed nations with greatest inequity 1. USA 2. Britain 3. Australia) ... is that what we don’t know is whether the absence of adverse life events creates the ideal conditions for human development. The answer seems obvious in the most profligate nations now facing a discomfort and rupture of profound proportions ; and ‘sport’ - the opiate of the times , no more for now. We have no choice but to turn and face a ‘strangeness’ of our own making as our lives drift far from ourselves. K