First published in Daily Maverick 168

The news this week that the National Government had given the green light to allow England’s cricket team to tour was a relief for the sport and another sign that life is returning to a more familiar state after months of lockdown.

The role of sport in society is vital. From social activities to physical health and mental well-being, sport in whatever form you choose is essential to leading a balanced life.

At the professional level, sport not only provides thousands of jobs and crucial entertainment, it is also an escape from the mundane drudgery of daily life. At a more extreme level, there is a tribal connection between fans and a team. As ridiculous as it may sound, for millions, being associated with a club or team is as much a part of their self-worth and self-esteem as wearing the right clothes or looking good.

Lockdown took that away and, as tournaments and games return, professional sport is creeping back into our lives – albeit almost exclusively through a TV screen.

Crowds are still banned from attending most events, as mass gatherings are still sensibly being avoided to mitigate the chance of a mass outbreak of Covid-19. Matric pupils letting off steam at a Cape Town club recently resulted in more than 80 cases of Covid-19 linked to that gathering. It was a reminder that caution is still the best way forward.

But caution, as necessary and sensible as it is, has changed the nature of professional sport. Cavernous stadiums have become soulless and melancholy places. The sound of every thud of the ball, or every angry expletive, to the accompaniment of canned crowd effects, is as sad as it is annoying.

Last week at Newlands, where the Stormers met the Lions, someone at Western Province thought it was a good idea to include recorded boos to accompany Elton Jantjies’ goal kicks. It’s bad enough when it happens spontaneously from the stands, but to plummet to those depths in an effort to bring “atmosphere” was almost enough to make you wish for lockdown again.

And speaking of lockdown, following that match four Lions players have returned positive Covid-19 tests, while the Stormers duo of Steven Kitshoff and Scarra Ntubeni have been placed in isolation for coming into contact with a Covid-19 positive person.

Though the flare-up seems to have been contained, it is a shot across the bows of anyone becoming complacent. It’s also a reminder that events and tournaments could be cancelled again if the pandemic scales up.

Covid-19 has created unprecedented scenarios in all spheres of life, and sports events have not been spared. In a year that has seen the 2020 Tokyo Olympics postponed and fans forced to stay away from stadiums, the global sports industry can ill afford another six months or longer of inactivity.

The World Economic Forum, which projected the global sports market’s value to reach $481-billion (R8-trillion) in 2020, has recalculated its estimate. The latest estimate, in a special Covid-19 report, has the 2020 value at $207-billion (R3.5-trillion).

The industry has lost more than half its value in six months. And even though it is expected to claw back some ground over the next three years, the report predicts a 35% reduction in broadcast rights fees for major sports and more for smaller sports.

The impact in rugby is being felt globally. England’s Rugby Football Union stated it would lose £60-million (R1.24-billion) if the 2021 Six Nations goes ahead without fans. The financial blood-letting is similar across the global rugby industry – and the broader sporting spectrum.

In football leagues across the world players have been testing positive for Covid-19. Almost no one has been spared, with Liverpool’s star striker Sadio Mané among those forced into isolation recently.

Stadiums remain empty. The English Premier League (EPL) had plans to allow limited numbers of fans back to games, but has been forced to maintain a holding position.

In September, the UK government banned gatherings of more than six people, which scuppered the EPL’s plans to test a programme to allow 1,000 people through the gates. The EPL then released a statement urging the UK government to ease its restrictions on fans returning to stadiums. The EPL says every month of lockdown is costing leagues in the UK more than £100-million (R2.1-billion) in gate takings.

But, as has been shown over the past eight months since most of the world went into some sort of lockdown, financial considerations are secondary to health and safety.

Every new positive test in sport is a reminder that soulless, empty stadiums, canned fan effects, face masks and fist-bumping are here to stay.

Weekly updates of players testing positive for Covid-19 will continue for months to come. While watching sport played in these sterile environments is far from ideal, the alternative of no sport is far worse.

It’s the new normal and we simply have to embrace it. DM168