Sports fans in North America will soon have primetime games with real crowd noise. But the jury’s still out if hosting fans during the COVID-19 pandemic is the best call.

Despite being in the middle of a global pandemic, the still-competing college football conferences and the NFL insist on playing in front of fans this season. Wish we were kidding.

Last week was a wild one for college football, but (in true 2020 fashion) a new day brings even more drama. With a petition circulating to reinstate the Big Ten season, players testing positive for COVID-19 and players’ parents even getting in on the action, the possibility of fall football is still uncertain.

After much back and forth, the Big Ten and Pac-12 have officially postponed all fall sports and will instead look to play a spring football season. Meanwhile, the remaining three conferences in the Power Five still plan to play sports this fall. Unsurprisingly, there’s a range of reactions to the news.

Early August normally marks the beginning of college football preseason, but (and stop us if you’ve heard this one before) COVID-19 is forcing some changes. As conferences continue to announce adjustments to their schedules, players are joining forces to demand safer conditions, while one school has suspended its football season altogether.

This week co-hosts Ellen and Steph give #thegist on how the COVID-19 pandemic is still negatively impacting sports. The MLB season is an absolute mess, college sports are still in danger and players are opting out of their respective seasons like flies. The drama.

NFL training camps start in just over one week, and players are not happy about the NFL’s health and safety plan, or rather, lack thereof.

It’s almost football season, and even though the NFL has been steadfast in their belief that they will absolutely, definitely, for sure go ahead with the season, the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) is prepping the contingency plan...you know, just in case.

This week co-hosts Ellen and Steph give #thegist of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on college sports. With some conferences cancelling fall sports, including football, schools have had to cut some varsity sports teams and make changes to athletic scholarships indefinitely. Meanwhile, some football teams, led by well-paid white coaches, are urging the season to go ahead, putting their unpaid, majority Black, players at risk. Tune in, won’t you.

With all of these sports coming back, it’s hard to believe that we’re still in the middle of a pandemic, but it’s true. Here’s a quick round-up of what’s going on in a few other sports.