The sport of professional football is one of the most intense and physically demanding sporting disciplines in the world. Ever since the formation of the NFL, professional football players have always put their bodies and well-being on the line in order to deliver the best spectacle possible for fans of the game all around the world, and it has paid off in great dividends both for fans as well as for the league. Not even the best NFL predictions experts around the world would have foreseen the massive growth in popularity and influence that pro football has had in the world since its appearance in mainstream living.
With all this said, the physical toll that NFL players go through season in and season out has become a trending topic of conversation for a long time now, with long-lasting body and head injuries and how to prevent them being a long-lasting problem that the NFL has worked to try and solve once and for all. But now, with the whole COVID-19 pandemic hitting the world in ways nobody would have ever expected, the NFL has had to deal with keeping players safety and health secured at all times, adding more pressure to the matters of player medical safety concerns that are already in hand.
Dealing With COVID-19 Has Been Like Playing The Super Bowl
Yes, the COVID-19 pandemic has rocked everyone in almost every way imaginable and the NFL has not been one to escape the effects that this global epidemic has put on everyone. While all of last season was enough of a gargantuan struggle for the NFL to keep alive, being that the pandemic was in its worst stage, the league still made it a point to try and offer football fans their beloved sporting action without skipping a beat.
Of course, we’re talking about a season where all of the vaccination efforts made by the US government and all of the advances done in the battling of the virus were still some time away from hitting the scene, so for the NFL, being able to maintain the highest levels of health and safety security protocols became a task almost as difficult as trying to win a Super Bowl. It was only a matter of time before positive COVID-19 cases would start to pop out all around the league, with players, coaches and other people involved all falling victims, but instead of backing down from the fight and calling it a season, the NFL doubled down on their security measures. By imposing strict rules, sanctions and monetary fines for coaches and players who disobeyed recommendations like the using of facemasks, keeping a distance amongst peers and avoiding large crowds and gatherings, the NFL showed the sporting world that there was a way of doing things right, even in the eye of despair.
While at first it felt odd to see the stadiums without any fans and the NFL trying to find ways to be able to put up a whole season while trying to avoid the effects of the virus, all fans can agree on the fact that the NFL truly stepped up in ways that no one would have imagined in order to deliver the best product available for all parties involved.
For The NFL It’s Simple, Either Follow The Rules Or Don’t Participate At All
For this upcoming season the NFL has doubled down on their rules and regulations to keep health and safety protocols to the highest of standards. One main example are the policies instituted that indicate that all players, coaches, trainers and team personnel from the league are obligated to be vaccinated in order to take part in the 2021 season. Those people not willing to follow the rule will automatically forfeit their chances of participating in the season and will also not be allowed to receive a salary or even be a part of any team or league related activities. While this decision has brought some minor backlash from some NFL anti vaccine supporters, the rest of the league and people involved have all taken this a clear notice of the NFL doing its part to prevent any more episodes of COVID-19 outbreaks.
With the fans, the NFL has also made it a point to bring up regulations and rules that everyone needs to follow in order to be able to enjoy live football action again. While last season, towards the end of the regular season, postseason and the Super Bowl, a limited amount of fans was allowed back into the stadiums, all with their respective bubbles, respecting social distancing, wearing facemasks and following strict hand sanitizing protocols amongst other rules, for this season the NFL is ready to welcome fans back in full form.
Given the advances in vaccination efforts as well as a general understanding of what this virus does, the NFL has made it a point to continue enforcing their policies for fans to be able to enjoy their favorite football action live in stadiums once again. Just like with players and team executives, if you don’t follow the rules then there’s no football for you.
