Without sports, what’s next?

So it seems we’re in uncharted waters here.

As I write this, sports have essentially been canceled until further notice.

Everything from little league baseball to the National Basketball Association is on hold as we grapple with the ramifications of the coronavirus COVID-19.

In the time since the state basketball tournament closed its doors, it feels like we’ve lived through about three decades worth of news.

Locally, all University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University spring sports have already been canceled by a mandate from the NCAA, which also canceled the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments.

The Albuquerque Isotopes and Minor League Baseball followed in the footsteps of Major League Baseball and postponed the season indefinitely.

New Mexico United has also seen its season suspended through at least May 10 just one game into the season, a loss to Austin Bold FC.

The suspension will require the postponement of at least the first four home games of the year, assuming the suspension isn’t extended.

The Duke City Gladiators indoor football team has also seen its season suspended, while the New Mexico Runners saw their season come to an early conclusion.

All of this comes before we even get to the NMAA suspending all spring sports until at least April 1, when the board of directors, including Los Lunas Schools superintendent Dana Sanders, will meet again and determine the next step.

Certainly, not having sports on television or going on around the state is far less important than minimizing the impact of the virus on people and communities locally as well as around the country and the world, but it sure has left a large void and left a lot of people feeling rightfully disappointed.

Just because there aren’t any games doesn’t mean that sports have come to a complete halt.

Colleges are still recruiting and athletes are still working. So, that’s what I’ll be focusing on.

In the meantime, remember to wash your hands and stay home, the more seriously we take this, the sooner we’ll all be back watching games which count.