COVID-19: The World Without Sports

For one month counting, the whole world has gone without sports entertainment either live on the pitch or on TV sets, at a time when people are forced to stay home.

The coronavirus pandemic has sent shockwaves around the world, leading to a public health emergency and affecting every area of sports with no exception, from athletes, teams and leagues, to the media that broadcast and cover games.

Lovers of sports think the world is on a pause and needs a quick belt out of the fast spreading COVID-19, that has brought the world to its knees.

Not surprisingly, COVID-19 has also overturned the sporting calendar, with professional leagues everywhere suspending their activities to limit the spread of the virus.

The Summer Olympics, one the world’s most-watched sporting events got its calendar adjusted to 2021 due to the scary monger killer virus.

The global value of the sports industry was estimated to be $471 billion in 2018 – an increase of 45% since 2011, before the coronavirus set in and changed the narrative for the worse, leading to a downturn on the global curve.

A World Without Sports; The Way Out For Many Cameroonians

Sports is so important to many Cameroonians that pundits have likened the relationship to a modern religion, and a midway for persons of different backgrounds.

Cameroon is not only known as a footballing nation but has bred citizens with undying passion for sports.

The absence of sports entertainment either on TV or at the various play grounds has huge emotional impacts on the minds of Cameroonians, at a time when grabbing a beer after 6pm is against the law of the country.

Many sports lovers say everything is going so fast and seems like a dream. Some say staying home without sports on TV is quite depressing.

A diehard football fan, Antoine Laurent says he has been using his time to follow up tutorials on digital marketing strategies on YouTube.

A Print Journalist, Ayuk Bernadette says she now uses most of her confinement time to read and to improve on her reporting and writing skills.

A Barcelona football fan, Njumewang Macdonald has left the TV screen to the kitchen where he spends time on YouTube, learning how to cook.

Many others have engaged into personal development by learning new skills online while some simply spend time with family.

A movie site like Netflix has welcomed millions of new users since the #StayHome phenomenon.

Looking Beyond Sport

When they are not looking for alternative sports entertainment, fans may be watching movies, catching up with friends or cooking… basically anything.

This is the time when sports brands could go to work and think laterally on how they can play a role in the lives of fans while there is no sports.

This will help to build and maintain loyalty in the fans.

Sport stars for instance, have joined the action, streaming games ranging from Fifa, Fortnite and Formula 1. Mesut Ozil for example, has recently been generating over 40,000 views playing Fortnite.

While fans will miss being able to see their favourite athletes in action, this offers a unique opportunity to see their athletes in a different light and connect with them over their shared isolation.

Internet users had a field day watching James Milner cutting the grass as well as tennis star Novak Djokovic sharing his drawing skills.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics has been postponed, likewise Euro 2020, UEFA Champions League, Serie A and Premier League Games amongst many others because of coronavirus crisis.

Eventhough research suggests that watching sports can benefit physical well-being, people have to look for other ways to stay busy and safe at home.

Benly Anchunda

Laisser un commentaire

Votre adresse e-mail ne sera pas publiée. Les champs obligatoires sont indiqués avec *

Ce site utilise Akismet pour réduire les indésirables. En savoir plus sur comment les données de vos commentaires sont utilisées.