Being a Sports Fan in the Coronavirus Era

March is typically supposed to be one of the greatest times of the year for every sports fan. No sports fan saw what was coming for this time in 2020.

This weekend (March 19-22) would've been the second weekend of this year's NCAA Tournament. We would've known who was going to the Final Four when this Sunday is over. But this year, there's no Final Four. There's no NBA or NHL seasons coming down to the final games to see who makes the playoffs. The Major League Baseball season is not about to start. There hasn't been a live game to watch since Wednesday, March 11th...

Given the circumstances, this is all completely understandable. The Coronavirus outbreak is something unprecedented and proper measures were needed to be taken, which most certainly includes the postponement of all sports. No one is questioning that was what needed to happen.

I, myself, happen to be a sports nut. This is typically one of the times of the year I look forward to as much as anyone. But that being said, sports are entertainment. They're an escape. They're not a matter of life and death. There are more important things that are happening that are bigger than all sports right now.

So what do you do if you're a sports fan right now? Sure, there's plenty of non-sports things to stream on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Now, etc. But where do you look to for that type of fix?

I happen to be someone who's nostalgic when it comes to sports. It's always fun to re-live great moments in history. Some, even if you weren't rooting for the team that won. I happened to turn on ESPN today and they were showing highlights from all six Super Bowls that Tom Brady and the New England Patriots won. Many sports fan outside of New England may not be happy to watch such games, but despite not being a Patriots fan, I found myself locked into those games. Who doesn't want to watch great sports moments in history? Later, they're showing a game when the late great Kobe Bryant dropped 60 in an NBA game. I don't even remember who they said it's against, but I'll watch a great game from Kobe any day of the week.

The NFL app is showing games on NFL Game Pass. Yesterday, I was re-watching Super Bowl LIV when the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers. There were also several other games in NFL history to choose from available as well. Anyone who has a touch of nostalgia should want to watch those.

On Netflix, there are several 30 for 30s to watch about several sports topics throughout history. Some, you can learn a lot about without even knowing what they were going in.

And this past week, NFL free agency started. I've definitely been paying attention to the lack of moves that my Los Angeles Rams have been making (besides losing Todd Gurley). But regardless, it's a good distraction from everything going on.

Being from St. Louis, I'm a St. Louis Blues and St. Louis Cardinals fan. Back in their home markets, Fox Sports and other outlets are replaying games from the Blues historic worst-to-first Stanley Cup Championship season last year and big Cardinals games from last year when they went to the postseason, along with their crazy run in 2011 when they were 10 1/2 games back on August 30th and they somehow won the World Series.

For the time being, it's going to be important for sports fans to be nostalgic. Remember how great things were when your team won and how important it can be to have that escape from day-to-day life currently. There are still plenty of things to watch on TV and streaming networks. You may have to search for them, but they're there. In terms of the sports fan lifestyle, it's tough right now. But we will get through it. Live games will be on once again and all things will be right with the sports world. Just remember to stay at home, wash your hands, and be patient!