Rising COVID Cases Across All Major US Sports - NBA & NFL Players Out

The NFL is facing similar misfortune, as 75 players have entered the COVID protocols in just the last two days. The Los Angeles Rams were forced to close their entire team facility on Tuesday, and the Cleveland Browns are scrambling to put a team together for their Saturday night game against the Raiders. With QB Baker Mayfield, WR Jarvis Landry, TE Austin Hooper, Head Coach Kevin Stefansky, and a reported 12 other players all on the Covid reserve list, the Browns may be the first team to have to forfeit their game due to a covid outbreak.

The NHL is having similar luck, reporting on Monday that all Calgary Flames games up until December 16th are postponed, as well as last night’s game between the Hurricanes and the Wild after four Hurricanes tested positive for Covid.

So what’s going on?

After our several-month hiatus from all organized sports in America back in early 2020, it scares us to think that a shutdown may be looming once again–but it’s important to stay rooted in reality–because when you’re not it could hit you like a sack of bricks.

This is the biggest impact covid has made in the sporting world since Rudy Gobert groped those microphones, and seeing how each league handles it will be interesting. In the case of the NFL, Commissioner Roger Goodell has already made his no-tolerance policy clear, meaning that he will not postpone or cancel any games due to a Covid outbreak. So, if the Browns are unable to field a team they will have to take a loss–which would be absolutely detrimental to their late-season push to make the playoffs.

Listen, the last thing I want to do is scare you–turn on any news channel and they’d have you thinking that Covid is waiting outside your house with a gun just itching to blast–but I just want to prepare you. The days where we were betting on marble races may seem long ago, but they could very well be tomorrow if things don’t begin to sort out.