When I left the Mississippi State campus on March 6th, I expected to be back there a week later. I was ready to work the remainder of the season’s baseball, softball, and basketball and to finish the spring semester out strong, including all the heartbreak I knew being a Mississippi State fan would bring. I left campus excited for what was going to come when I returned. A new season of possibility and even some uncertainty.
Soon enough, I saw what kind of uncertainty this season would bring. On Tuesday, March 10th, my little brother and I went to a Memphis Grizzlies game. Little did we know that it would be the last Grizzlies game for a while. The next day, March 11th, the NBA declared they were suspending the season following Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, members of the Utah Jazz, testing positive for COVID-19.
Following this decision, it seemed like the entire sports world shut down in mere hours. Next was the NCAA Tournaments, NCAA Baseball, NCAA Softball, the MLB, and many others. At first, it seemed these events were going to happen with no fans and only those necessary to carry out the game operations. Being a broadcast operations student worker, I was excited to be part of the “essential personnel” because it seemed like I was going to get to be a part of sports history. However, in a matter of days, it seemed that these events were not going to happen at all. I lost my job and the rest of my semester before my eyes.
This year more than ever I was looking forward to March Madness. At my broadcast operations job, I get to be a stage manager and meet all the amazing talent that comes to commentate on our games. I knew since there was a possibility we would be hosting the NCAA Tournament, I’d probably get to meet some pretty big names in the industry and get to ask them some questions about their job. I was so disappointed when I found out it was canceled, and I wasn’t going to get these networking opportunities I looked forward to all year.
Since sports have been on hiatus, I’ve basically been doing the same thing I’ve been doing since One Direction went on hiatus in 2015, watching old videos and reminiscing on the good ole days. ESPN+’s 30 for 30 series has been a lifeline. It’s hard not being able to consume any live sports, especially since March Madness got canceled, but being able to have all these amazing documentaries at my fingertips is so cool. I’ve watched “Phi Slama Jama” and “The Day the Series Stopped” along with a few others. I’ve also been watching the new series The Harder Way about Penny Hardaway’s University of Memphis 2020 basketball team. I can say I’m disappointed I didn’t get to see what that team could’ve done at the AAC Tournament as well as the NCAA Tournament. I still have flashbacks from the 2008 National Championship run with Calipari and Derrick Rose.
Likewise, I’ve been reading and watching videos on Twitter. I’m trying to learn and absorb as much as I can while I have the time to. One of the ways I hope to pass the time is to reach out to female sports journalists and asking their advice about how to succeed in the industry. Watching the live streams, Facebook lives, and Twitter threads have given me so much valuable advice that I know I’ll be able to use in the future.
Even though I’m finding other ways to cope, this whole situation sucks, plain and simple. I know we’re better off from a health perspective because of it and we’ll be back to sports in no time, but it’s unfortunate for me and all the other sports fans who dedicate their entire lives to following these games. I do know that I can’t sit here and say I’m the one hurting the most. My heart is heavy for the athletes and coaches that worked for this season all year. Those that missed the end of their season or even worse, the ones who only got the beginning. I especially feel for seniors missing their last games and even seasoning ending tournaments that could determine their fate.
This is not how we as sports fans expected 2020 to go, even though we should have seen it coming with the death of Kobe in the first month of the new year. If we all band together as a sports community, I think we’ll see it can’t be that bad. Not sure about everyone else, but I know I have used this time to learn something that will help me be more insightful and knowledgeable when sports return. Unlike One Direction, I hope sports come back from hiatus in a timely manner and sooner or later, we’re all talking about the next great play. Until then, this is a learning experience and of course I will be sharing my favorite sports moments on Twitter.
While the timing of it is uncertain as of right now, I know the first game back will be something the entire world will look forward to.
Coleman Ware 