MLB and NFL: COVID-19 Impact on Athletes

ESPN Daily

ESPN

Sports

4.6 • 3.9K Ratings

🗓️ 4 August 2020

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

As live sports resume, pro athletes are grappling with the threat of coronavirus, to their own health, their families and their careers. MLB has suspended multiple games due to COVID-19 outbreaks, and the NFL has seen several players choose not to take part in the 2020 season, with a deadline this week to for opt-outs. While frequent testing and other protocols have been enacted across pro leagues, there is still a lot that’s unknown about the physical impact of the virus, even on a healthy, young athlete’s body. ESPN injury analyst Stephania Bell has been paging through medical studies and the leagues’ protocol documents. She has an insider’s take on how teams and players are making decisions about their risk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Give me one sec.
0:03.4	My binder is so big.
0:06.0	It ruins my whole setup here.
0:08.1	It's really embarrassing.
0:11.1	Stefania Bell is ESPN's injury analyst, a physical therapist, and the co-host of the Fantasy Focus Football podcast.
0:19.3	The mental image I have of just the sheer towering amount of paper you're surrounded by.
0:27.7	I actually have this huge four-inch COVID-19 binder with tabs for every league and just the
0:36.5	COVID literature that I've consumed in the CDC requirements.
0:41.1	I've got notes and stickies.
0:43.6	And I feel like if I were in one of those CSI stories, this would be my wall with the thumbtacks and the rubber bands.
0:51.4	Red yarn connecting all sorts of theories and possibilities.
0:55.8	That sounds about right.
1:03.6	Updates about COVID-19's impact on sports are flowing in constantly,
1:08.8	along with research that deepens our understanding of this virus.
1:13.2	As athletes look ahead to fall, and yes, that's you football, they're eyeing the latest from
1:18.7	teams that have returned to play. So what the players have to go on as they decide whether
1:24.1	to return to the field? ESPN's Stefania Bell weighs the consequences from an athlete's point of view.
1:32.2	I'm Pablo Torre. It's Tuesday, August 4th.
1:36.4	This is ESPN Daily.
1:44.0	Stefania, hello.
1:45.9	Pablo, how are you?
1:48.1	I'm all right.
	...

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