Epidemics

FILE - NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman speaks with members of the media before being inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in Washington, in this Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019, file photo. Like the NBA, the NHL is going forward with a season without a bubble. Commissioner Gary Bettman, Players' Association executive director Don Fehr and other top officials explain how hockey got to this point with a CBA that may have only staved off headaches and playing in mostly empty home arenas to start. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
January 12, 2021 - 7:43 pm

NHL gambles on getting through pandemic outside a bubble

When the NHL charter flight back from the Edmonton bubble landed in New Jersey, Gary Bettman's phone started ringing. The commissioner thought he'd get a couple of weeks to exhale after awarding the Stanley Cup to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Instead, it was back to work. Of course, planning for the...
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Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski looks on during the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)
January 05, 2021 - 6:59 pm

Cruel twist: Browns lose coach for playoffs due to COVID-19

CLEVELAND (AP) — Amid a masked, muted celebration in the locker room after the Browns ended the NFL's longest playoff drought, coach Kevin Stefanski asked for a game ball and then told Pro Bowl guard Joel Bitonio to step forward. Stefanski flipped the ball to Bitonio, who had survived seven long...
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Everton and West Ham players commemorates COVID-19 victims during the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and West Ham at Goodison Park in Liverpool, England, Friday, Jan. 1, 2021. (Jan Kruger,Pool via AP)
January 01, 2021 - 2:16 pm

Analysis: World football's uncertainties as pandemic rages

The disconcerting familiarity of games played in empty stadiums ushered in a new year which carried over the same uncertainties facing world football. With a second wave of COVID-19 ravaging so many countries — accelerated by mutant strains — even continuing competitions without disruption remains...
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FILE- In this Oct. 15, 2019, file photo, Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL's chief medical officer, speaks during a news conference at the at the football league's fall meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The league is pressing forward with its goal of playing the Super Bowl as scheduled in Tampa on Feb. 7. What often seemed improbable during the COVID-10 pandemic has become quite achievable. "Contact tracing is the thing people are not talking the most about, but it is foundational to our success," said Sills. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
December 29, 2020 - 2:31 pm

NFL has pulled off improbable task of playing amid pandemic

It took playing games on all seven days of the week, a wide receiver starting at quarterback, numerous schedule changes and constant revisions to health and safety protocols for the NFL to reach Week 17 on time. That’s a remarkable accomplishment during a pandemic. “Since March, the league, clubs,...
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FILE - In this Nov. 28, 2020, file photo, Vanderbilt's Sarah Fuller, right, kicks off as Ryan McCord (27) holds to start the second half of an NCAA college football game against Missouri in Columbia, Mo. With the kick, Fuller became the first female to play in a Southeastern Conference football game. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson, File)
December 25, 2020 - 1:01 pm

Amid anguish of pandemic, sports offered memorable moments

Sarah Fuller was a goalie on the Vanderbilt women's soccer team when a chance at history tapped her on the shoulder. The Commodores football team was down a kicker because of COVID-19 issues, so coach Derek Mason reached out to soccer coach Darren Ambrose to see if Fuller might be a good option...
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A fan wearing a face mask as a precaution against the coronavirus cheers during Game 2 of the Korean Series, the Korea Baseball Organization's championship round, between Doosan Bears and NC Dinos at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
November 23, 2020 - 7:17 pm

The Latest: UAlbany women's hoops postpones first 3 games

The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world: ___ The University at Albany women’s basketball team has postponed its first three games following a surge of the novel coronavirus in the university community. UAlbany enacted a full campus pause on Nov. 10 and the...
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Georgia defensive back Eric Stokes (27) returns an interception for a touchdown during the second quarter of a NCAA college football, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, in Jacksonville, Fla. (Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
AP
November 11, 2020 - 5:48 pm

Virus postponements hit SEC, Big Ten; 8 games across FBS

The pandemic wrecked more plans across college football on Wednesday, with No. 12 Georgia at Missouri becoming the fourth game postponed in the Southeastern Conference alone and No. 3 Ohio State's visit to Maryland canceled because of a coronavirus outbreak among the Terrapins. “This is certainly a...
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Rice quarterback Mike Collins gets the snap during the team's NCAA college football game against Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss., Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020. (Cam Bonelli/Hattiesburg American via AP)
November 06, 2020 - 4:19 pm

The Latest: Packers' Krys Barnes, Jordan Love on COVID list

The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world: ___ The Green Bay Packers placed linebacker Krys Barnes and reserve quarterback Jordan Love on the reserve/COVID-19 list. The list is for a player who has tested positive or has been in close contact with an infected...
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Fans wearing protective face masks watch the Formula One Portuguese Grand Prix at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimao, Portugal, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020. (Jose Sena Goulao, Pool via AP)
November 05, 2020 - 10:23 pm

The Latest: Lions put Jalen Elliott on reserve/COVID-19 list

The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world: ___ The Detroit Lions have put safety Jalen Elliott on the reserve/COVID-19 list. The list is for players who either test positive or have been in close contact with an infected person. Detroit also put linebacker...
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Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) waves to fans after an NCAA college football game against Syracuse in Clemson, S.C., on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. (Ken Ruinard/Pool Photo via AP)
October 31, 2020 - 9:59 pm

Column: Lawrence just wanted to play, now he must watch

Trevor Lawrence just wants to play. All he can do for now is watch. The star quarterback of the nation's top-ranked college football team has joined millions of victims of the coronavirus pandemic, becoming another stark reminder of just how tenuous this season really is. A positive test this week...
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