The Big Lead

The NFL Gave Us a Reprieve From Coronavirus, If Only For An Hour

By Brian Giuffra

Indianapolis Colts v Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts v Houston Texans / Wesley Hitt/Getty Images
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It was about 1:15 p.m. EST today on another gloomy afternoon in the new world order. The stock market was crashing again. The airline industry was/is considering a shutdown. New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut announced sweeping new rules to limit resident movement and exposure. Coronavirus talk and action ruled the day.

Then DeAndre Hopkins was traded and everything changed. Suddenly, the NFL took center stage. After Hopkins was traded, rumors erupted about Tom Brady to the Bucs, Teddy Bridgewater to the Bears, Stefon Diggs wanting out of Minnesota, Odell Beckham Jr. possibly being traded again, Todd Gurley being dangled as a trade chip, and so many other pieces of news. Honestly, it was hard to keep up.

Yet keep up we did because we were trying to avoid a pandemic that's impossible to outrun.

There was a lot of chatter over the last two days about whether the NFL should push back the start of the new league year. It seemed silly to start free agency and trades and everything else that goes along with the first official day of the NFL's 2020 season while coronavirus was, justifiably, at the forefront of everyone's mind. Count me among those who initially questioned it, though I did hedge my bets by saying it's good entertainment.

However, after watching the joy this brought NFL fans, the debate it created amongst so many, and the distraction it offered during this difficult time, I think it's fair to say this was a nice moment worth remembering. No, it's not important in the grand scheme of what's happening to individuals' lives. But it was better than reality.

Speaking of which, just as I was finished writing this, San Francisco was placed on a shutdown and President Trump announced new guidelines for Americans to keep their kids home from school and avoid gatherings of 10 or more people, as well as warning everyone that this may be the new normal until July or August. Back to the normally-scheduled programing. It was a nice reprieve while it lasted.