Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gridiron football

On March 12, 2020, the Canadian Football League (CFL) announced the cancellation or modification of several pre-season events in response to the pandemic.

Several scouting combines across Canada and the United States were cancelled, while other events such as rules committee meetings were held remotely.

In a press statement, he announced that the CFL was exploring multiple options to ensure that the league will be able to play as close to a full season as possible.

[10] On August 17, 2020, the CFL announced that the entire 2020 season, including the Grey Cup, would be cancelled as the league's request for funding was rejected by the federal government.

[12] Due to the expectation of looser capacity restrictions, the schedule was engineered to have all games hosted by teams in the West division for the first two weeks of the season.

[17][18][19] At the onset of the pandemic, the National Football League (NFL) had already concluded its previous season after the Super Bowl LIV in early February 2020.

Experts acknowledged that the San Francisco 49ers' loss in Super Bowl LIV may have averted early community transmission in California via post-game celebrations and victory parades.

[23] The pandemic had an impact on the 2020 NFL draft; draft-eligible players were prohibited by the league from travelling to meet team personnel, and vice versa.

[31] Due to logistical issues associated with the pandemic, the NFL suspended its international games in London and Mexico City for the season.

Teams were allowed to add simulated crowd noise to public address systems to compensate for lower attendance figures.

In addition, Fox had planned to add its own sound effects and "crowds" based on computer-generated imagery for its telecasts, according to an interview with its lead announcer, Joe Buck.

[36][37] However, Fox Sports quietly dropped those plans for NFL games after substantial negative feedback when this was tried out on its Major League Baseball telecasts.

On November 2, the Broncos announced that Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback - and current general manager - John Elway had tested positive, perhaps the most notable NFL figure to be diagnosed.

On October 28, it was reported that the NFL planned to cap Raymond James Stadium at 20% of its 65,000-seat capacity for Super Bowl LV.

[39] On June 24, the Steelers announced that, due to ongoing health and safety protocols, preseason training would not return to Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, its longtime location prior to the pandemic.

[53] On July 28, the Ravens announced that quarterback Lamar Jackson had tested positive for COVID-19 for the second time; he is the first star player known to be diagnosed with the Delta variant.

On August 13, the New Orleans Saints announced that spectators would be required to show proof of at least one dose or a negative test 72 hours prior to entering the Caesars Superdome.

[citation needed] Twice in the span of four days, starting quarterbacks missed games due to COVID-19 infection: Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings did not play against the Las Vegas Raiders on August 14, and Drew Lock of the Seattle Seahawks was to miss the game against the Chicago Bears on August 18.

[67] Head coach Brian Kelly stated that the team was evaluating alternatives, including a possible partnership with the Power Five's Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), where Notre Dame is a member outside of football and ice hockey (as part of its membership, Notre Dame usually schedules five games per-season against ACC opponents).

[70] The ACC realigned its schedule to not use a divisional format, with the top two teams based on winning record playing in the championship.

[70] Notre Dame's season opener against Duke marked the first time the Fighting Irish had ever played or won a conference football game.

[78][79][80][81] Post-season activities such as the College Football Playoff's final rankings, and voting for the Heisman Trophy, were delayed in order to accommodate a lengthened timeframe for the regular season into mid-December.

The worst outbreak by program was at Wisconsin, which had 27 combined cases, including players and head coach Paul Chryst, and had consecutive games canceled.

[87] Due to scheduling circumstances, the usual quota of six wins needed to qualify for bowl eligibility was lifted for the 2020 season only.

[97] The 2021 Rose Bowl, a 2021 College Football Playoff semi-final game, was relocated from the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, California to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in the Los Angeles area, and the state refusing to allow limited attendance by the friends and family of players.

CMU was scheduled to travel to North Central College to play a first-round game in the NCAA Division III Football Championship the next day.

Their planned opponent, the Central Michigan Chippewas, subsequently accepted an invitation to play the Washington State Cougars in the 2021 Sun Bowl after the Miami Hurricanes withdrew.

[116] On March 9, 2021, the XFL announced that its return plans had been suspended in favor of negotiating a possible alliance with the CFL, according to a joint statement from both leagues.