Ohio should be the NFL’s bubble for the 2020 season
By Kyle Edmond
Ohio should be the NFL’s bubble for the 2020 season.
With the rising cases of COVID-19 in Major League Baseball, it’s becoming increasingly more obvious that if the NFL wants to play a full season in 2020, a bubble will be needed. The NBA, NHL, and MLS, among others, have all used this format and have, for the most part, had success with it.
The difference for the NFL would be the obvious circumstances. The leagues that have used bubbles can play every day, whereas the NFL holds 13 of the 16 games a week on one day, making a bubble much more difficult. However, if the NFL would opt for the bubble idea, Ohio would be the best location to keep everything as central as possible without missing a beat.
Ohio has been one of the states at the forefront of trying to “flatten the curve” and it could pay off should the NFL choose to go there. The state’s capital of Columbus is centrally located in the state and within a short distance of more than enough facilities for both games and practices as well as having ample space for housing all the players of the NFL.
The most important issue aside from having stadiums is making sure all the players can comfortably and safely stay in Columbus. The NBA is basically using an entire Disney resort, which isn’t an option in Ohio. However, the answer to this could come in two different ways.
The first option is to use hotels in downtown Columbus close to the primary locations for practices and games in that area. Essentially taking over a few hotels with every player in their own room would allow this to happen, but wouldn’t be the most efficient way to handle it for the city of Columbus.
The second option is dependent on what Ohio State will do for in-person classes and housing. Should the university return to campus for the fall semester then housing is out of the question, but should they go online for the fall, then the NFL could opt to use the campus housing and dining to create a bubble on the Ohio State campus for the players, coaches, etc.