Sky ahead Diamond DeShields is used to her existence being dictated by means of her observe and sport schedules.
But that hasn’t been the case the ultimate two months because the sports activities international has been placed on pause as a result of the coronavirus.
“It’s been drastically different,” stated DeShields, who’s recently residing with circle of relatives in Atlanta. “It’s not even an exaggeration, this whole situation has impacted everyone’s lives and kind of turned it upside down in a way.”
Seasons were postponed or canceled, faculty systems were reduce as a part of the monetary fallout of the disaster, and plenty of enthusiasts have stated they wouldn’t really feel at ease attending a wearing match till a vaccine is made to be had.
“As bad as I want to be out there, I know there’s a global pandemic going on,” DeShields stated. “But you can’t help but feel like part of you is missing during this time.”
It’s laborious to consider when and the way sports activities will resume.
The WNBA, which used to be at the start scheduled to begin its 24th season Friday, has been weighing its choices since March, and with the assistance of public well being professionals, has began to put out the blueprints of what a 2020 season may seem like.
Two conceivable situations into consideration come with having the season performed at one impartial website or in spaces that experience had restricted publicity to the coronavirus, commissioner Cathy Engelbert stated ultimate month.
One commonplace thread within the WNBA’s making plans is if it is going via with a season, it’ll possibly be performed with out enthusiasts. Sky proprietor Michael Alter showed that to the Sun-Times ultimate week, announcing he used to be “very, very certain” that will be the case.
With some leagues, like Major League Baseball, proposing plans to go back within the close to long term, DeShields is constructive that there shall be a WNBA season this yr. However, she doesn’t see coaching camps opening with out extra available checking out.
“We would get tested a lot,” DeShields stated. “On the one hand, it’s nice to know that we would be able to be kept safe in that way, but on the other, there are so many Americans and people who don’t have access to tests, you know? And it’s just a fine line as far as prioritizing the health of everybody.”
One of DeShields’ favourite facets of the WNBA is the accessibility enthusiasts must the avid gamers, who’re normally to be had for selfies and autographs after the video games, if now not sooner than. But as a result of how contagious COVID-19 is, the ones pre- and postgame fan-player interactions received’t be the similar till there’s a vaccine, she stated.
“I’m not sure how much it’ll change in the long term,” DeShields stated. “I do know in the short term it will be drastically different. Like, will we be taking pictures after games? Will we be having meet-and-greets? I don’t think we’re going to be, as players, able to have the same fan engagement for a while, so that’s one thing that I know will be different. But as far as long term when everything is over, I hope things can go back to normal — or, I don’t think things will ever be normal, but I hope the fan experience can improve over time.”