Look how far we've come.
On Friday, Alabama basketball will be playing in the SEC Tournament as the No. 1 seed after clinching its first regular-season conference title since 2002. With its 16-2 SEC record, the Crimson Tide has ascended to No. 6 in the AP Top 25 and is almost guaranteed a spot as a 2-seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament next weekend.
At this exact same moment in the season last year, Alabama finished the regular season 8-10 in the SEC and was a 9-seed in the SEC Tournament. Winning the tournament could have granted the Crimson Tide a bid to March Madness, but most likely Alabama would have ended up in the NIT.
How far could the Crimson Tide have gone in the SEC Tournament? Unfortunately, no answer will ever be granted to that question, as the tournament was canceled after the first round due to the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It's been quite a journey, hasn't it?
Exactly a year ago this Friday, college sports across the nation came grinding to a halt. The SEC Tournament was canceled, March Madness was canceled and college baseball and softball both saw a temporary halt before succumbing to the same fate.
When Alabama football's spring practices — which were originally slated to begin on March 13 — also came to a full stop mere hours before they were supposed to begin, Crimson Tide fans realized the gravity of the situation.
A life without college athletics? What a sad, depressing life to live.
Over the summer, as COVID-19 cases began to rise and the full weight of the pandemic began to press down upon the United States, one question began to loom on every college athletics fan's mind: will there be any sports in the fall?
The Ivy League announced that it wouldn't be playing any fall sports. The Big Ten and the Pac-12 were soon to follow. It seemed that all sports being canceled was the most likely scenario.
The ACC, Big 12 and SEC thought otherwise.
Forming a solid plan, the remaining three Power Five conferences forged onwards in laying down safety measures in order to limit the spread while fielding seasons. During the coronavirus pandemic, people craved normalcy and hope in an abnormal and, at points, a seemingly hopeless time.
College sports brought them that hope.
With stadiums at limited capacity, mask-wearing and social distancing a requirement along with a plethora of other changes such as virtual ticketing and mobile ordering at concession stands, college football was able to happen. It didn't just succeed, it thrived.
Not only that, but it gave hope to the hopeless.
The same could be said for college basketball. Another sport involving close contact between players, the summer brought debate over whether the sport would resume in the fall. Once again, the conferences pulled through.
During the college football season, the SEC played a total of 69 of its 71 scheduled games in a 10-game, conference-only season. In basketball, the SEC was able to play 232 of its original 254 games — 91.3 percent. While the road has been difficult and the path treacherous, the sports were able to continue as planned.
Today, the future is looking even brighter. As of the writing of this story, an estimated 12 percent of Americans have received the COVID-19 vaccine, including one in four adults. Recently, Alabama director of athletics Greg Byrne stated that he and his staff intend on holding Bryant-Denny Stadium at full capacity next football season.
The hope isn't that far off. Arkansas announced last week that it will be increasing its stadium capacity at baseball games from 4,218 to 5,418 — an increase to roughly 47 percent of total capacity at Baum-Walker Stadium.
This trend of increasing capacity is likely to continue, as smaller schools are already nixing stadium capacities and mask rules. At Alabama baseball's game against Jacksonville State at Jim Case Stadium, masks were recommended but not required and a limited stadium capacity was a thing of the past.
All of this being said, we are not out of the woods yet. As the vaccine continues to be rolled out across the country, the risk of contracting COVID-19 still remains a danger to not only athletes and coaches but fans as well. However, hope has endured throughout college athletics and will continue to do so as the most abnormal year in recent history comes to a close.
So when you're watching Alabama basketball this Friday in the SEC Tournament, Crimson Tide baseball against Stetson or softball at Auburn, remember what all this country has been through over the last 365 days. Reflect on the old normal along with the new. The trials and the triumph. The losses and the victories.
We're not finished yet, but isn't it nice to look at how far we've come?
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March 11, 2021 at 02:51AM
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Crimson Corner: Look How Far We've Come - Bama Maven
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