How the 2021 Sports Season will likely Playout in North America

Major sporting events in North America have not had a smooth running since the Covid-19 pandemic hit hard. However, 2021 seems to be a good year for the sports fraternity, and many stakeholders are already getting ahead of it in planning. 

The NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB, horse racing, AFL, and other sporting events are either already in action or preparing to return in 2021. The NHL has been praised for the effective management of their teams during the pandemic’s harshest times.

That explains why the Senators team owner, Eugene Melnyk, was excited ahead of the league’s return to action. He was hopeful that the league would run smoothly upon commencement and fans would get back sooner if everything runs well. This news article records more about his sentiments.

Be that as it may, the main question remains: Is everything running on well as Eugene and his other sports counterparts anticipated? What’s ahead for the 2021 sports season? 

Let’s find out below.

How the 2021 Sports Season in North America is Likely to Playout

With so many difficult decisions taken to curb the spread of Covid-19, sports activities are now ready to commence. You will see some of the expected actions in North American sports in the following sports.

• The Masters Golf Tournament 

Apart from being the best golf tournament you can attend, the Masters is also one of the US’s top sporting events. Its proposed return is to be on April 5, 2021, and run for five days to April 11 at Augusta, Georgia. It is undisputedly a bucket list event for anyone passionate about golf. 

It’s an event no hockey-lover would wish to miss, not after a long break from the golfing events. While you can still catch it live on TV, the experience is nothing near to being physically present on the golfing ground. Walking the natural grounds of Augusta National Golf Club gives you a sense of the course that cameras can’t capture. 

The idea of physically attending the golfing events makes the return of the Masters Golf Tournament a much-anticipated event of 2021. 

• The Indianapolis 500 

The Indianapolis 500 is nicknamed ‘The Biggest Spectacle in Racing’ and is also commonly referred to as the Indy 500. Its 2021 return after a long time of inaction is expected to kick off on May 28 and continue through May 31. 

The race always takes place in Indianapolis Motor Speedway every spring. After the Covid-19 break, its return is expected to bring back to life the long history of car racing that dates back over a century ago. 

This year’s Indy 500 is to mark the 105th successful execution of this popular major sporting event in North America. 

• The NFL 

The NFL 2021 season, which will be the 102nd season of the NFL, is expected to kick off on September 9, 2021, to a date yet to be determined. The 2021 season’s duration is reliant on two factors: whether the season will comprise 16 or 17 games and whether there’ll be a reprieve with the Covid-19 restrictions. 

The NFL had a Collective Bargaining Agreement signed in March 2020 proposing expanding the regular season in 2021. That CBA makes it the first league eligible for expansion in 2021. 

The season is expected to kick off on September 9, 2021, at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Raymond James is the home stadium of Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Super Bowl LV champions. 

With the September 9 start date, the season is expected to end on either February 6 or 13, 2022 depending on whether the season will extend. The season will end with the league’s championship game, the Super Bowl LVI, at SoFi stadium in Inglewood, California. 

• The NHL

The 2020-21 NHL season is already underway after it kicked off on January 13, 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic led to a few changes in the league, including reducing the regular season to 56 games. Additionally, the Canadian government imposed cross-border travel restrictions, which pushed the NHL organizers into putting all seven Canadian teams into one division. 

When everything unfolds according to plan, the playoffs are scheduled to begin somewhere in May and run until July under a 16-team format. The 16 teams will consist of the top four teams from each division. 

Whether fans are allowed back into the stadia depends on the respective state policies and the team’s preparedness. About five teams have allowed fans’ partial return, with St. Louis Blues becoming the fifth team to allow fans’ partial return. 

St. Louis is joining a list of four other teams who had already allowed fans into their home arenas. These teams are; Arizona Coyotes, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, and Nashville Predators. 

Other teams are expected to follow suit depending on how the pandemic reports continue coming in. Ottawa Senators owner, Eugene Melnyk, had earlier hinted of allowing 6000 people into the stands but later canceled, saying it’s not the right time yet. 

• The MLB

Major League Baseball announced that it would be instructing clubs to report for spring training on time and plan for a full 162-game season in early February. This came after the players union declined to negotiate a delayed start.

The 2021 season will be MLB’s second attempt at playing since the coronavirus outbreak. However, the pandemic is still hitting hard the US’s states, and commencing the league will be a test of the league’s ability to manage the spread. 

February 27 is the commencement date of the first spring training games, with the Grapefruit and Cactus games to be played through March 30. Select teams will host exhibition games at their home ballparks a few days before the Opening Day.

The regular season is slated to begin April 1, with each team playing 162 games if there will be no cancellation due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The final game day is expected to be October 3, after which the Wild Card game will kick off the MLB postseason on October 5. 

If everything runs according to schedule and plan, the World Series is expected to start on Tuesday, October 26, with a potential Game 7 scheduled for November 3. If you missed the MLB, get yourself ready for an action-packed season that will give you enough of what you’ve missed.

Final Words 

The 2021 sports season is indeed going to be a thrilling one, especially after a year of isolation and lockdowns. Whether you are a fan of the NHL, MLB, car racing, golf, or the NFL, be sure to have some action this year. With the preparations many sporting events have in place, you don’t have much to worry about the pandemic.