The COVID-19 Pandemic and the World of Sports

Jake Dietrich


Biography

Jake H. Dietrich is a fourth year Professional Communication student pursuing a minor in Marketing, with additional interest in Public Relations. In the past, he has studied Finance at Humber College, and took a few courses at the Toronto Academy of Acting. At 25 years old, he has significant experience in sales and management, working as the acting store manager of a grocery store since the beginning of the year.

Outside of academics and the workplace, Jake enjoys a multitude of hobbies across a variety of interests. He is an avid record collector and concert goer, he enjoys recreational sports and watching professional sports, enjoys video games and collecting special editions of games, and loves cooking and creating unique vegan dishes showcasing how delicious food can be without animal products.

Research Summary

A research project examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world of professional sports, using the Toronto Blue Jays as a case study and a survey that employed qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection.

Two years ago, the COVID-19 pandemic forced all professional sports to pause their seasons; the seasons were later resumed with no fan attendance. Most major sports leagues began their 2020-2021 / 2021 seasons without any fans, with minimal audience capacity permitted near the end of the regular season. In order to accommodate fans, teams had to implement a series of measures to ensure that transmission rates would be minimal.

As professional sports are slated to return to full capacity, this research project was conducted to see just how the professional sports world would be shaped as things go back to a proverbial normal, from a fan’s point of view. In order to do this, 40 respondents were presented with a 20 question, 4 segment survey that analyzed their attitude towards the pandemic, the organization, and their experience at games.

Tags

COVID-19; Sports; Toronto

Lightning Talk

Project Website

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