Saturday, May 16, 2026

Pandemic Sports

Steeler Kicking
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Another sports league is being held up by COVID-19 as the NFL postponed Sunday’s matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Tennessee Titans. The news came after four Titans players and several personnel tested positive for the coronavirus.

A COVID-19 hiccup for the NFL was all but expected as it’s playing out the season outside of a bubble. Keeping teams isolated has worked for other major leagues, like the NHL, WNBA and NBA. Neutral sites will be used for the final three rounds of MLB’s postseason after the league battled with several coronavirus outbreaks throughout the shortened season that canceled and postponed dozens of games. 

MLB announced yesterday that up to 11,500 fans will be able to attend World Series and National League Championship Series games at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas — a marriage between many NFL teams’ approach to the season and a fully isolated bubble.

Bubble Success:

NHL —  The Tampa Bay Lightning capped off the NHL’s bubble experiment with a Stanley Cup win Monday.

NBA — Finals began last night between the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers.

WNBA — The Seattle Storm and Las Vegas Aces will face off in the Finals beginning Friday.

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