THE EVOLUTION OF SPORT- A NEW NORMAL

 The ongoing pandemic has shaped our lives and how we interact and get things done and when it comes to sport, it has unlocked a new evolution of how we view and put on sport. 

Their have been drastic changes in the sports world, from divisional play, allowing no fans in the venue, masks mandatory for staff and players, sanitizer checkpoints and everything in between. From community sport to the professional sports, change is constantly happening and is shaping the way we put on, observe and logistically maneuver around in the sports industry. The pubic health authority is now what each and every organization goes by in order to have a safe environment for all and that goes for every sport at any level. Unlike before, now their are enhanced safety protocols for everyone involved to help with safety and  to help limit possible big outbreaks of infection and their are rules for isolation and quarantine guidelines in place as well. 

We never really had to think about all of those things before as they did not come to the forefront, but now we are faced to create contingency plans if something goes wrong and have various options to choose from. The new normal in the evolution of sport has accelerated key technological innovations to allow teams to keep up to speed with their training through various video platforms and we have all had to use our computers a lot more to help keep a handle on everything. 

Primarily, putting on sport in a pandemic is no easy task at all but it takes a lot of extra steps to get to the end goal development and the extra steps are a crucial stepping stone in the satisfaction department. 

The NHL for example, has had to talk to all of the public health authorities, governments and key parties involved to just get a season up and running and not only that, but they also have to create detailed plans with extensive details  to then send to all of the levels of governments involved plus the different public health authorities just to get a yes or a no. Hours upon hours or bargaining and negotiations come into play to put on a professional hockey season in a normal season but it is magnified during a pandemic as their are a lot more moving parts involved.  

The NHL is ended up with a 56 game season with divisional play only including an all Canadian 7 team division. The schedule for this NHL season is a lot like an MLB season, with mini 2 and 3 game series back to back to back and you can face another team in your division as much as 10 times which will renew rivalries and create excitement amongst fans that are watching on televisions at home. The whole fan experience has turned on its head for safety reasons obviously and no fans are in attendance to watch the games, but each arena uses interactive features that make their specific arena unique in terms of the game atmosphere (pumped in crowd noise, able to be on the jumbotron from your computer, giveaways and so much more). 

The pandemic has made these technological advances go into hyperdrive and be pushed out by these different companies to make it easier for a coach, staff and players to all interact with one another and while we are still in a lockdown, these tools will have to be utilized now more then ever to assist in learning process.  

We often wonder what the future of sport will be like in the way that we view/observe or help execute sport at any level and the reality is that we do not entirely know what the future holds in terms of sport. All we do know is that we just have to take it one day at a time and when the time does come when a pivotal change comes, we must be mentally ready and prepared to adapt in any way, shape or form change happens and we must continue to support one another in the unique journey in the evolution of sport. 

As case numbers are on the decline all over Canada, their is once again optimism that the in attendance fan experience can happen but a lot of planning and restrictions will be put in place and venues will have to be modified quite a bit to give it the green light by both the governments and public health authorities. Until then, we must continue to stay positive and always vigilant in the hopes that sport can once again help rebound our sprits and continue to watch from home to help give us something to cheer about throughout the months of winter. 

"We are what we repeatedly do, at first you don't succeed, try, try again"

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