Professional sports have been hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis and let’s hope the industry does not ever fully recover. 

The devotion sports fans have to their clubs is misplaced and it became obvious when operations shut down abruptly last month. 

The Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation showed no loyalty to a community that funded half the cost of the Calgary Event Centre, which is set to be built sometime next year (it’s difficult to say when that construction will actually begin considering the current crisis).

The $550 million price tag was split between Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation and the City of Calgary. 

The Calgary Flames ownership group initially announced it would not pay laid-off staff during the pandemic, but were then guilted into doing the right thing after a backlash from fans and city councillors.  

People idolize professional athletes like heroes. The world would be a better place if fans were forced to stop and put that hero worship into perspective. 

We hear every day about healthcare workers risking their lives treating patients, often without adequate personal protective equipment such as face masks. These people are saving lives, while contracting the deadly virus at an alarming rate. 77 healthcare workers have tested positive in Alberta so far, according to Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health.

Professional athletes may entertain and even inspire their fans, but do not save lives or risk their own. 

The crisis much of the world is facing is reminding millions of people how much they took for granted. 

Having access to healthcare, especially intensive care unit rooms and ventilators, is on Canadians’ minds more than ever. So is being able to walk into a fully stocked grocery store without the anxiety of being in a high-risk area for contracting a potentially lethal pathogen. 

Maybe once cases and deaths recede and life begins to return to a new normal, our leaders will recognize the everyday heroism of the healthcare field with how taxpayer money is spent. 

Imagine the difference Calgary’s $275 million in stadium money could make in the community’s efforts to prevent COVID-19 deaths. 

The pandemic has caused an unimaginable amount of pain and trauma for people around the world, but we also have an opportunity to change our priorities.