Live soccer is back. You might not have heard fans and it definitely was a little strange, but at the end of the day there was soccer to watch.
Saturday marked the return of the Bundesliga and for many around the world the return of live sport. However, there were many changes to the game soccer fans have become accustomed to.
Playing without fans at stadiums capable of holding thousands of people gave the games an eerie feeling. It allowed for viewers to hear everything the players and coaches were saying throughout the game.
When the camera moved to the sidelines viewers could see coaches and players distanced 6 feet a part, with the majority wearing masks. When the teams entered the field of play they entered at different times. When players scored they brought out their best “social distancing” celebrations as there was no touching allowed.
All of these rules were due to the health guidelines and protocol needed to play during the pandemic we find ourselves in. While I understand the decisions to use these rules, I question how they’ve gone about implementing them.
The way I understand these rules is they’re an attempt at protecting the image of the league. It wouldn’t be great for the league if images of players hugging each other during celebrations were being seen all around the world. It also probably helps the league’s image for players and coaches to have masks on while involved.
Even while I understand the use of these rules, there are plenty of things I don’t get. If everyone involved has been in quarantine why are the masks necessary? Why do all of the players need to social distance on the sidelines if when they get subbed in they’ll be touching players on the field? They aren’t allowed to touch each other during celebrations but I’ve seen multiple players help each other up after a foul. How is that any different?
It just doesn’t seem to make that much sense to me. They seem to be following guidelines only because they’re necessary and not because they are fearful themselves. A lot of the actions that took place makes the games seem fairly safe in my opinion. The game itself seems to be pretty normal. This is in a sense that the players didn’t seem afraid to tackle or do anything they would normally do during a soccer game.
I believe if they’re going to go ahead and play the rest of the season, they should do it with the realization that they’ve taken the necessary steps to ensure nobody involved has the virus. In this case that would mean all of the social distancing measures wouldn’t really be necessary.
However, as I’ve already said I completely understand the necessity of keeping a positive image of the league. A positive image means backlash for this decision becomes less likely.
Ultimately the first games of the Bundesliga season seem to me to be a success. When I was watching I got a little bit of a club soccer vibe from the games. The players were laughing and smiling throughout and clearly were glad to be back.
For fans it was a live sport to watch again. For the Bundesliga it was the start to a new reality that seemed to go as planned. Now, we’ll have to wait to see how this impacts other leagues and sports around the world. Will it cause other leagues to speed up their process in returning or restarting? Or will it not impact other leagues at all?
While the answers to those questions are unknown, what we do know is the Bundesliga is back. And as far as I know right now, it was a successful return as well.