This time of year is one of the best for sports. The NCAA Basketball Tournament should be starting today with upsets and bracket busters the norm of the first round.

As the tournament ends, Major League Baseball’s season should begin, with opening day signaling a bright new start for the sport.

The Masters would then take over, with the beautiful lush fairways and azaleas marking the unofficial start of spring for many people. The NBA and NHL are wind down their regular seasons and head toward the playoffs around this time, too.

If you are soccer fan, there should be plenty of great games for you. The UEFA Champions League would in the knockout stages and the English Premier League be coming into its final 10 games.

However, none of that is happening this year, at least for now. COVID-19 has put a stop to nearly all sports worldwide, which is something that hasn’t happened since World War II.

Not only were the NCAA men’s and women’s tournaments canceled, so were all college spring sports. The Masters has been postponed to an undetermined date, as have the tennis French Open and Kentucky Derby. NASCAR and IndyCar have pushed back their seasons until May, and Major League Baseball delayed its opening day until mid-May. The NBA and NHL suspended their seasons for at least a month.

The Champions League was indefinitely postponed, and the Premier League won’t have games again until at least April 4.

It is very strange to go from one of the busiest times of the sports year to having absolutely no sports at all. We are all now finding out just how much we rely on sports for our entertainment.

So what is there to do? The magic of YouTube can help.

No matter what your favorite sport is, there are plenty of highlights and games on YouTube to get you through a period with no sports.

Missing your March Madness fix? Watch some of the greatest moments in NCAA tournament history. They include buzzer-beaters, upsets and some of the greatest teams. There are also full games you can watch if you are really hard up for watching some sports.

College football fans don’t have to wait until August to watch a game. There are lots of full college football games on YouTube ranging from last year all the way back to the 1970s. I enjoy watching games from an earlier time period to see just how much it has changed over the years.

Once you get done watching YouTube games or highlights, then what? Well, the weather has turned very nice over the last week, so why don’t you go out in the yard and play catch with your kids, just like you used to do with your mom or dad?

The great thing about playing catch (or booting a soccer ball to each other if you prefer) is you will automatically stand 6 feet or more apart. It’s not only a great bonding experience, but you’re practicing social distancing! A win-win, you might say.

Once it gets dark and you have to come in from outside, why don’t you finish the day with a good sports movie? There are plenty to choose from, no matter what your favorite sport is. My all-time favorite sports movie (and one of my favorite movies in general) is “Field of Dreams.” If you haven’t seen it, watch it. And try not to cry at the ending.

Other great sports movies include comedies “Bull Durham” and “Major League,” award-winning dramas such as “Rocky” and “Raging Bull,” and classics for the kids such as “Angels in the Outfield.”

We’ll get through this new coronavirus pandemic. One day, hopefully soon, sports will be back in our lives. Until then, we’ll just have to make do.

 

— Edwards can be reached at jeff@athensnews-courier.com.