Coronavirus and Sports

The global spread of the disease COVID-19, or the Coronavirus, has caused many institutions, organizations, and events to come to an unexpected halt. Schools and universities closed all in-person operation and teachers are conducting online classes from home. March Madness and all NCAA spring semester sports seasons were cancelled. The NBA and NHL suspended their seasons and MLB has postponed opening day. All professional sports have been advised that if their seasons will continue by this summer, they must do so without the gathering of fans present at the events.

With such a historic impact in the world and sports currently happening, there are still many questions to be answered. We take a look at past years in professional sports with shortened seasons in the face of adversity, and what it meant for the legacy of the game in each of those leagues.

MLB

The first time a major league sports season experienced an altered schedule was in 1918-1919 to accommodate the first Great War. Initially, only the minor leagues had brought their seasons to a close. Rosters were largely unaffected; however, some players were drafted and some enlisted to join the fight. The game schedule was shortened to 140 games for teams awaiting players to return from military service.

The following instances of a modified season schedule came from players strikes amidst disagreements between the players and the owners. The most common reason for a major league sports season to have a schedule modification is a player's strike for leverage in bargaining agreements. The first-time players in the MLB decided to strike was in 1972 and it resulted in the owners giving up, after postponing the season for 13 days. There was some controversy in this instance as the AL East’s Detroit Tigers (86-70) finished percentage points ahead of the Red Sox (85-70). The one game difference may still be a hot topic when brought up with older Red Sox fans, who remember the controversial season.

There was another mid-season strike in 1981 that shortened the total games played to 107. Players walked out on the season on June 11 and did not resume playing until August 10.

There has only been 1 instance since 1904 that a World Series did not take place. In 1994, collective bargaining agreements had failed, and the final games of the season were played on August 11. The season in ‘94 never resumed, and the disagreement would delay the ’95 season for 3 weeks.

NHL

Most recently, the headlines for season gridlock have commonly been written about the NHL. The first time the league was affected was in 1919, when the Spanish Flu impacted the Stanley Cup Final. The matchup was between the Pacific Coast Hockey Association’s Seattle Metropolitans and the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens. The series was 5 games in when players on both teams became ill, hospitalized and bed ridden. The Stanley Cup’s engraving for that year includes both team’s names and states “1919 - Seattle Metropolitans - Montreal Canadiens - Series Not Completed”.

The first time that a player’s strike would affect an NHL season was in 1992, when the NHLPA called the strike on April 1. This was just before finishing the regular season and moving into the playoffs. The timing was intentionally close to the playoffs to give the players an advantage in negotiations. The strike in ‘92 would only last 10 days, and the Stanley Cup was won by the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second year in a row.

In 1994, the NHL would undergo a much longer lockout, lasting 3 months, as collective bargaining agreements failed. At the time, it was the shortest NHL season in 50 years and was eventually decided by the New Jersey Devils winning their first ever Stanley Cup, sweeping the Detroit Red Wings in the Final.

Currently, the first and only time in North American sports history where a season was entirely cancelled, was the 2004-2005 NHL season. It was the first time since 1919 that a Stanley Cup was not awarded. The continued issue of salary cap remained the problem with collective bargaining agreements and sides did not come to terms until July 2005.

Since there was no season with results to decide draft order, the league used a weighted lottery draft to give all 30 teams a chance at winning. Teams with fewer playoff appearances and higher picks in the previous three seasons had the best chance to win. The top pick of that draft would ultimately go to the Pittsburgh Penguins, who to advantage by using it to select Sidney Crosby.

The third NHL lockout in two decades was in September 2012 and was not resolved until January 2013. A 48-game season was played beginning on January 19 with all games being played within each conference.

The Chicago Blackhawks ended up winning the Presidents’ Trophy and the Stanley Cup, their second in three years, by defeating the Boston Bruins in six games.

NFL

The NFL has been the most fortunate in avoiding the season gridlock and turmoil that puts game action at a hold. There have only been two modern era shortened seasons in the NFL. The ‘82 and ‘87 seasons were cut short due to players strikes, reducing the game schedule to 9 in 1982 and 15 in 1987. The Washington Redskins won the Super Bowl in each of these shortened seasons.

NBA

The NBA has experienced four lockouts in which players held out on playing games for collective bargaining terms. The first two would not result in the loss of any games as terms were reached just before the start of the season. However, two later seasons would be shortened.

Beginning in July of 1998 and lasting until January the next year, the league played a shortened 50 game schedule amid negotiations between owners and players. Many notable players had voted to keep playing, regardless of how negotiations went. As a result of the agreements, the NBA became the first major sports league in the U.S. to limit the salaries of its players.

The second time the NBA would lose a full game schedule was in 2011. More gridlock during player negotiations caused another lockout. The season eventually continued with a shortened 66 game schedule once terms were reached. There is some controversy over this year as many players were injured, including Derrick Rose’s and Joakim Noah for the Chicago Bulls. Baron Davis and Iman Shumpert did not play due to knee injuries. Even the NBA champion winners of that year, the Miami Heat, lost Chris Bosh for most of the playoffs. The commissioner at the time, David Stern, has said there was no connection between the injuries and the 66-games schedule compressed into 124 days. There has been debate around the league since then, expressing concerns for player’s load management, and ample rest time.