View From the Legislature

It is sometimes said that professional sports are a metaphor for life. In many ways during the pandemic, it has been as much a mirror as a metaphor. From the start of the pandemic, pro sports has dealt with some of the same type of challenges that the rest of society has, from trying to keep a business model afloat, to attempting to return to something like normal while minimizing the spread of COVID-19.

For many, the first real signal that the pandemic was about to change things was when sports, led by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Hockey League (NHL), began very quickly and dramatically shutting down. Since then, there have been efforts underway to restart seasons with the NHL beginning a playoff format in August.

Those who know me well understand that I am a sports fan. My family loves watching the Bombers and Jets and cheering on our local Pistons. But it is not unreasonable for people to ask whether this is really the most important thing that needs to be dealt with during a global pandemic. Clearly, it is not the most important thing. But there is a reality that the virus is likely not going away soon, as much as everyone may wish it to, and so we need to live with it for awhile. Living with the virus means finding safe ways to do life activities like we did before. And watching professional sports, even if not in person, is one of those activities.

Some sports, like the NHL, are looking at hub city models where all the games are played in only one or two cities. In this way, they can keep all the players together, under specific restrictions, without having to travel or interact with people outside of their own teams or their competition. This is to minimize the spread of the virus and thereby protect the health of the team and the communities they are playing in.

The Canadian Football League (CFL) is also considering a hub city model. Winnipeg is one of the places being considered to host all the games in a shortened CFL season. That is partially because of the football facilities available in Winnipeg and the fact that compared to most other provinces, COVID cases and restrictions have been fewer. If the CFL can develop a plan to play in a safe manner and have the agreement of its players, it is expected that being the hub city would result in $45 million in business sales and $4.5 million in direct tax revenue.

Probably what everyone desires most is that things return to a pre-pandemic normal. But if the reality is that the virus will be with us for some time, then we also need to find ways to live with it in a way that respects health advice but does not result in people living in fear. For many, the return of professional sports may seem insignificant. But in the bigger picture it is a step in our collective desire to return to some normalcy and to find ways to live with the virus.