Pandemics
Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans cheer during the second half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark LoMoglio)
Crowded stadiums, pandemic create combustible mix this fall

By Tom Murphy Sep. 11, 2021 07:55 AM EDT

FILE - Fans arrive at the Louisiana Superdome before an NFL football game between the New Orleans Saints and the New York Giants in New Orleans, in this Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009, file photo. Amid public and political scrutiny, the New Orleans Saints have adopted a new refund policy allowing fans to relinquish their season tickets and get their money back. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
Saints alter season ticket refund policy amid scrutiny

By Brett Martel Aug. 19, 2021 01:02 PM EDT

FILE - This Sept. 14, 2017, file photo shows NFL analyst Marshall Faulk speaking during a pre-game show before an NFL football game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Houston Texans, in Cincinnati. Marshall Faulk's high school football coach died of COVID-19 early on in the pandemic. The coronavirus hit home for Rod Woodson when he and his family got sick and his daughter's boyfriend lost his father to the disease. They are two of 15 Hall of Famers and 40 current and former players who are part of a community outreach and education initiative to help build COVID-19 vaccination confidence.(AP Photo/Frank Victores, File)
NFL Alumni, CDC fight COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy

By Arnie Stapleton Aug. 02, 2021 02:11 PM EDT

FILE - Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden looks on during an NFL football practice in HNenderson, Nev., in this Tuesday, June 15, 2021, file photo. Gruden and the Raiders were fined a total of $650,000 and docked a sixth-round draft pick for repeated violations of the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
Analysis: How the NFL got through the pandemic and to 2021

By Barry Wilner Jul. 23, 2021 04:07 PM EDT

FILE- In this Oct. 15, 2019, file photo, Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL's chief medical officer, speaks during a news conference at the at the football league's fall meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Playing a season through a pandemic did not take the NFL's attention off other health issues, specifically concussions with the league finding those dropped about 5% in 2020. Sills said the league had 262 cases of COVID-19 among players and 463 cases among coaches, staff and other personnel. The NFL had an overall test positivity rate from Aug. 1 through the end of January of 0.08%, well below the country's positivity rate and almost all the league's markets. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
NFL: Concussions down about 5%, masks limited flu cases

By Teresa M. Walker Feb. 03, 2021 06:03 PM EST

In this image from video, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to the president, speaks during a White House briefing on the Biden administration's response to the COVID-19 pandemic Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021, in Washington. (White House via AP)
Fauci warns against Super Bowl parties to avoid virus spread

Feb. 03, 2021 08:28 AM EST

CDC publishes paper on NFL's efforts to play 2020 season

By Rob Maaddi Jan. 25, 2021 01:42 PM EST
The NFL partnered with the Centers for Disease Control to share its extensive work to reach the Super Bowl on time during a pandemic-altered season, hoping the...

FILE - In this Jan. 24, 2015, file photo, NHL Players' Association Executive Director Donald Fehr listens during a press conference in Columbus, Ohio. Like the NBA, the NHL is going forward with a season without a bubble. Commissioner Gary Bettman, Players' Association executive director Don Fehr and other top officials explain how hockey got to this point with a CBA that may have only staved off headaches and playing in mostly empty home arenas to start. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
NHL gambles on getting through pandemic outside a bubble

By Stephen Whyno Jan. 12, 2021 02:47 PM EST

El quarterback de los Browns de Cleveland Baker Mayfield celebra la victoria ante los Steelers de Pittsburgh, el domingo 3 de enero de 2021. (AP Foto/David Richard)
Cruel twist: Browns lose coach for playoffs due to COVID-19

By Tom Withers Jan. 05, 2021 11:28 AM EST

FILE- In this Oct. 15, 2019, file photo, Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL's chief medical officer, speaks during a news conference at the at the football league's fall meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The league is pressing forward with its goal of playing the Super Bowl as scheduled in Tampa on Feb. 7. What often seemed improbable during the COVID-10 pandemic has become quite achievable. "Contact tracing is the thing people are not talking the most about, but it is foundational to our success," said Sills. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
NFL has pulled off improbable task of playing amid pandemic

By Rob Maaddi Dec. 29, 2020 02:13 AM EST

FILE - In this Oct. 27, 2020, file photo, Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate after defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 in in Game 6 to win baseball's World Series in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)
Amid anguish of pandemic, sports offered memorable moments

By John Marshall Dec. 25, 2020 01:01 PM EST

Therese Johaug of Norway wears a protective face mask after finishing the women's cross country skiing classic style 10-kilometer competition at the FIS World Cup Ruka Nordic event in Kuusamo, Finland, Saturday, Nov. 28, 2020. (Emmi Korhonen/Lehtikuva via AP)
The Latest: Boise State-UNLV football game canceled

By The Associated Press Dec. 02, 2020 09:54 AM EST

A fan wearing a face mask as a precaution against the coronavirus cheers during Game 2 of the Korean Series, the Korea Baseball Organization's championship round, between Doosan Bears and NC Dinos at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
The Latest: Iowa St women's hoops coach in quarantine

By The Associated Press Nov. 23, 2020 01:36 PM EST

Louisville fans sit socially distant during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020, in Charlottesville, Va. (Erin Edgerton/The Daily Progress via AP)
The Latest: No. 15 Marshall postpones game vs Charlotte

By The Associated Press Nov. 16, 2020 11:18 AM EST

Fans attending the NCAA college football game between Northern Illinois and Buffalo on Wednesday night, Nov. 4, 2020, in DeKalb, Ill., follow guidelines about mask-wearing and social distancing. (Mark Busch/Daily Chronicle via AP)
The Latest: Thai golfing sisters contract COVID-19

By The Associated Press Nov. 13, 2020 10:12 AM EST

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) throws a pass in the first half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)
The Latest: Knicks shut training center after positive tests

By The Associated Press Nov. 10, 2020 10:40 AM EST

Fans wearing protective face masks watch the Formula One Portuguese Grand Prix at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimao, Portugal, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020. (Jose Sena Goulao, Pool via AP)
The Latest: Lions put Jalen Elliott on reserve/COVID-19 list

By The Associated Press Nov. 05, 2020 08:34 AM EST

La Vuelta fans wearing face mask protection to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, keep safe a distance behind barriers, before the start of the eight stage of La Vuelta between Logrono and Alto de Moncalvillo, in Logrono, northern Spain, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)
The Latest: Texans place OL Sharping on COVID-19 list

By The Associated Press Oct. 28, 2020 11:14 AM EDT

Injured Denver Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay takes part in drills during NFL football practice Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020, in Englewood, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Lindsay: juggling, uncertainty just part of 2020 NFL season

By Arnie Stapleton Oct. 10, 2020 04:17 PM EDT

San Francisco 49ers' Jordan Reed, right, tries to grab a pass over New York Giants' Logan Ryan during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)
On Football: COVID-19's effect on the NFL now and up ahead

By Barry Wilner Oct. 02, 2020 04:02 PM EDT