Although sports schedules have been shut down for several weeks, there are sports related activities still going on. Amateur drafts are continuing and stadiums are still being built.
The National Football League and Women’s National Basketball Association have conducted their annual amateur drafts virtually, and they were still broadcast on television.
The 85th annual NFL Draft was April 23–25 via videoconferencing. The NFL originally planned to hold the event in Paradise, Nevada, before all public events related to the draft were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, all team selections took place virtually.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic the WNBA draft was held virtually without players, as well. The draft was televised as planned, and was the most-watched WNBA draft in 16 years.
The Canadian Football League will be practicing social distancing during its draft, scheduled to start at 8:00 p.m. (EDT) tonight, with live coverage on TSN. No one from the league office, the nine teams, or the network will be together in the same room. The CFL Draft will be conducted virtually, much the same way as the NFL Draft, last week.
Typically held the first week in June, the 2020 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft will take place sometime in July. On March 26, MLB and the Player’s Association reached a deal that includes the option to shorten the draft to five rounds, and also shorten the 2021 draft to 20 rounds.
As of right now, the 2020 NBA draft is still scheduled to be held June 25, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NBA teams will take turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. It will be televised nationally on ESPN. The draft lottery is scheduled to take place on May 19.
The 2020 NHL Entry Draft was initially scheduled to be held on June 26–27, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. However, on March 25, 2020, the NHL announced that the draft would be postponed due to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. No date has been set.
There are several stadiums and arenas in various stages of construction, and although work came to a stop initially due to COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, most of the projects have received permission from their local municipalities to continue.
There is a stadium being built in Los Angeles for the NFL Chargers and Rams – SoFi Stadium, which is scheduled to host it’s first event July 25, prior to the NFL teams playing any preseason games there in August.
In Las Vegas, Allegiant Stadium is under construction for the NFL Raiders who are relocating. That stadium plans to host it’s first event, a concert, on August 25.
In Seattle, construction is continuing on a new arena to house the city’s National Hockey League expansion team, schedule to begin play in the league in the fall of 2021.
However, work has stopped and not resumed on an arena on Long Island, New York, for the NHL Islanders. The building is scheduled to open in October 2021, for the start of the 2021-2022 NHL season, however, if it’s not ready, the Islanders could play additional games at their current home; Nassau Coliseum.
There are four stadiums being built for Major League Soccer teams. Austin FC is set to join MLS in 2021, and if their stadium isn’t ready in time, the league could potentially rework the team’s schedule.
The Columbus Crew have received permission to continue construction of their new downtown stadium. The Crew currently plays in a soccer only stadium at the Ohio State Fairgrounds. The new stadium is scheduled to be finished in the summer of 2021, midway through the MLS season.
A new downtown stadium is in the early stages for the 2022 MLS expansion St. Louis team.
“Following the City of St. Louis Health Commissioner’s Order on COVID-19, we plan to continue construction on the MLS stadium project as scheduled,” the ownership group said in a statement on March 25. “However, we want to assure you that the well-being of every individual working on this project remains our top priority. We’ll continue to take the necessary steps to protect every member of the team. We remain in close conversation with health and government officials for the latest updates to best assess how to safely manage this project and will be ready to adjust course at any time.”
Sacramento will also join the MLS in 2022, however, they have yet to break ground on their stadium. Team officials say the project is still on schedule despite the coronavirus pandemic, which has halted non-essential construction in the area. They believe the stadium can still be completed in 19-21 months.