With sports having essentially disappeared amid the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, athletes and sports fans alike had to find alternative activities to pass the time. Whether it consisted of discovering new hobbies or watching classic sports movies, many of those missing sports found creative ways to cope without athletics.

“It was difficult at first,” sophomore tennis player Natalie Block said in regards to dealing without her sport, “but it was nice to get a little break. I swam, walked my dog, went on runs and started painting. It’s really relaxing, and it gives me time to cope without tennis.”

Junior Nick Gutierrez, on the other hand, dedicated much of his newly found free time to staying prepared for the upcoming football season.

“I started running and lifting weights everyday to stay active during the daytime,” Gutierrez said. “At night, I would play sports video games like NBA 2K20 with many of my friends.”

Aside from athletes like Block and Gutierrez, everyday sports fans also found it difficult to be without sports during the hiatus.

“Sports being canceled not only meant me not being able to watch my favorite teams play, but it also gave me less to talk about with friends as our fantasy basketball leagues immediately ended along with the basketball season,” senior Jonah Jacobs said. “To cope with this I tried to stay connected with sports through documentaries like ‘The Last Dance’ and playing sports video games with friends.”