I have trouble envisioning a functional 2020 NFL season.

[Dave Gray]

I think that the NBA can pull this off.

The active gameday rosters isn't much more than like...12 players.  There aren't a lot of coaches that need to be present.  The medical staff needs to be available, but is rarely used and can stay off the sideline.  You could even socially distance your players on the benches...there's room.

And they're going to bubble city and everyone is in the same place with no travel.  No fans.

COVID might find its way in anyway, but I think they have a real good shot to make this work.

------

But I just fail to see how the NFL can do it.  There are so many more players.  There are so many more coaches.  The medical staffs are larger, but also, they are used in every game.   Someone is always getting hurt in football....multiple times a game.  More refs, etc.

But also, they're going to travel, right?  And have some fans maybe? 

I would love the NFL to come back, and it very well may, but I can't see how they can make a season without COVID outbreaks.  There are just so many more bodies required to deliver that product...especially when talking about travel.

Do you think the season will actually happen?

[Pappy13]

I don't see how it can be prevented. There's too much money at stake. There will be football this year. How close will it resemble the football that we have all come to know and love, I don't know. It could be very ugly, but there will be football this year. That's my prediction.

[Sunstroke]

I see Football happening this season, mainly for the reason that Pappy offered up...the financial aspects. That said, I'll go with the bold prediction that the season starts...and then gets cut short after the virus goes apeshit on the NFL.

[Dave Gray]

I see Football happening this season, mainly for the reason that Pappy offered up...the financial aspects. That said, I'll go with the bold prediction that the season starts...and then gets cut short after the virus goes apeshit on the NFL.

I can totally see this happening.

[EDGECRUSHER]

If every single NFL player contracted COVID, the odds of any of them dying is almost 0. They are men in their 20's and 30s in great shape and almost none of them have compromised immune systems, otherwise they probably wouldn't be NFL players. The league knows and the league loves money, so they aren't going to shut down shop.

The older coaches are a different story, they may have to kind of be kept in make shift bubbles or rooms and given headsets to communicate. Those are the at risk people.

You will see players go down for a week or two due to Covid and that will be really weird but there will be a full season. What interests me is how many players will actually have COVID and play anyway. These guys play through injuries and illness all the time, if one guy has a headache due to COVID, he is still going out there. The league would probably try to prevent that but they will totally hide it. We know Belichick will hide it.

[Sunstroke]

...If every single NFL player contracted COVID, the odds of any of them dying is almost 0

Since you seem to have a pretty good grip on exactly what will happen with this virus, the follow-up question would be: "How many of the football players' family members will get sick and die?"

[EDGECRUSHER]

Since you seem to have a pretty good grip on exactly what will happen with this virus, the follow-up question would be: "How many of the football players' family members will get sick and die?"

Depends on who they live with. Healthy wives and kids with no compromised immune system? 0

Parents or sick relatives? That's a different story. Everyone is different and should take reasonable precaution, but the NFL is not going to shut down a season over this. They are only not having fans due to local government, if it were up to them every stadium would be packed. That's why I say the show will go on unless they aren't legally allowed to play.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Depends on who they live with. Healthy wives and kids with no compromised immune system? 0

Parents or sick relatives? That's a different story. Everyone is different and should take reasonable precaution, but the NFL is not going to shut down a season over this. They are only not having fans due to local government, if it were up to them every stadium would be packed. That's why I say the show will go on unless they aren't legally allowed to play.

What about the grandparents of their kid friends?  The parents of their kids teacher’s store clerk? 

We all have a responsibility to limit our interactions to prevent the spread!  Having this much contact between people who would otherwise be in different geographical areas is irresponsible. 

[Fau Teixeira]

yeah .. the NFL is going to be a responsive to the players well being .. they have a history of being conservative when it comes to the players well being ..

they may add a covid exception to the IR .. allow people to come back off of it

that's how the NFL will be responsive to the players well being

[Phishfan]

Th NBA and MLS bubbles have already been infected. The bubble helps but isn't foolproof and the NFL can't even come close to replicating it. The only hope for a full football season is if the NFL just says screw it or if herd immunity suddenly starts.

[Dolphster]

I see Football happening this season, mainly for the reason that Pappy offered up...the financial aspects. That said, I'll go with the bold prediction that the season starts...and then gets cut short after the virus goes apeshit on the NFL.

I'd say there is a pretty good chance that you will be right. 

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Th NBA and MLS bubbles have already been infected. The bubble helps but isn't foolproof and the NFL can't even come close to replicating it. The only hope for a full football season is if the NFL just says screw it or if herd immunity suddenly starts.

The former isn't happening.  The latter pretty much already has -- the NFL intends to play regardless of the health implications.  The only thing that will stop them is government intervention -- multiple states banning them.

[David Fulcher]

Depends on who they live with. Healthy wives and kids with no compromised immune system? 0

Parents or sick relatives? That's a different story. Everyone is different and should take reasonable precaution, but the NFL is not going to shut down a season over this. They are only not having fans due to local government, if it were up to them every stadium would be packed. That's why I say the show will go on unless they aren't legally allowed to play.

I'm sorry, Edge, I like ya and all, but this is Just Not True.  Take it for what you will, I'm not going to look up and provide the resources from the AMA, ASCO, ACCP, ACC (American College of Cardiology), SCCM (Society of Critical Care Medicine), IDSA, etc., etc., but please believe me when I tell you that I read about this sh*t nearly Every single day, from various accredited, peer-reviewed sources via electronic access as a healthcare provider (I am a practicing physician--hematologist/oncologist), and young people without Any known pre-existing "health conditions"/co-morbidiites Have indeed died from this virus.  I'm not saying it's a lot--prob. more on the order of 0.13-0.17%, based on a few references I've seen--but to say it's 0% is just not true!  While that percentage might not seem like "a lot" to you, when you multiply the variables as 'Stroke has alluded to, it is not a minor thing whatsoever.

I'm with the others like Dave, 'Stroke, Dolphster, etc.--this sh*t ain't to be played around with.

While I do think that the NFL season will start and maybe even play through, the league truly needs to be able to take COVID-19, including exposure even amongst the predominantly likely asymptomatic with this "patient"/control population, absolutely as seriously as possible if they're intending to go about the season in any "traditional" type of fashion.

/soapbox "rant"

[Fau Teixeira]

The nfl came out and said that players positive to covid will be put on IR for 3 weeks

[fyo]

It's certainly possible to have a close-to-regular NFL season (although without butts in seats), but it would require a bunch of 20-something athletes to act professionally and isolate themselves. No parties, no bars, no clubs, no barbeques, no hangers-on, no pickup games. Actually acting like their profession depended on it.

On top of that, teams have to really tighten up facilities, protocols, contact reduction, etc.

Fighting a epidemic is a thing of imperfections. This means accepting that small things (swapping jerseys, maybe) are critical to allow you to do the critical, but risky, things (like actually play). Yeah, having to tell your daughter she can't play with more than one friend for several months sucks. Sorry, you know that birthday party you were really looking forward to? Not gonna happen. Eat out with the wife/gf on your anniversary? Nope, sorry, can't do that.

I'm having a really hard time seeing players and teams doing what needs to be done to get through a season.

It CAN be done. The individual elements are pretty simple. But getting human beings to actually follow the prescriptions? That's hard. And in the case of NFL players, probably impossible.