After the sports world took a pause because of COVID-19, U.S. professional leagues have begun to make their much-anticipated returns.

The National Women’s Soccer League was the first contact-sport professional league to come back with competition on June 27. Now, every league has started or has plans to resume in the coming months.

During the sports hiatus, the killing of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor brought racial justice issues to the forefront of civil discourse. Athletes were not silent in their support of the Black Lives Matter movement, and leagues and teams have made plans to express their views during their returns in various ways.

Here’s how their plans break down:

NFL 

As players prepare to travel to training camp, the NFL is still working on plans for the 2020 season. Players are still scheduled to report on July 28, but the NFL cancelled the annual Hall of Fame preseason game in Canton, Ohio, scheduled for Aug. 8. The league has also cut the preseason from the traditional four game schedule to two games, as reported by NBC Sports. 

The NFL is working with players to allow patches and helmet decals on uniforms to honor those impacted by police brutality. The league will also play “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” known as the Black national anthem, before every week one game prior to playing “The Star Spangled Banner.”

MLB 

After a long negotiating process between owners and players, Major League Baseball is set to return, without fans, on July 23. The regular season will last 60 games ending on Sept. 27 with a postseason to follow.

Players returned to training camp on July 1 in their home stadiums rather than the usual preseason spring training sites in Florida and Arizona. Some players, including Atlanta Braves outfielder Nick Markakis and pitcher Felix Hernandez have opted out of the abridged season.

WNBA

The WNBA was postponed before the season started, but the league will return late July in Bradenton, Florida, at IMG Academy. The league plans to play a 22-game regular season schedule followed by a traditional playoff format. Several players have chosen to opt out of the season, and Atlanta Dream guard Renee Montgomery will not participate in order to focus on social justice issues.

On July 6, the WNBA dedicated the 2020 season to social justice and announced The Justice Movement, a platform for players and the league to communicate and “address this country’s long history of inequality, implicit bias and systemic racism that has targeted black and brown communities.”

The players will wear shirts that have the phrase “Black Lives Matter” written on the front and “Say Her Name” on the back. The phrase “Black Lives Matter” will also be shown on the court.

NBA 

The NBA’s season was paused on March 11, but will resume with a brief slate of playoff seeding games at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, before closing out with a normal 16-team playoff. Seeding games begin on July 31 with 22 teams competing for the 16 spots. Several players have chosen not to participate in the remainder of the season.

According to ESPN, the NBA is planning to paint the phrase “Black Lives Matter” on the sides of the courts during the tournament, as well as allowing players to include social justice messages on the back of jerseys. 

NWSL

The first league to return started its 2020 season on June 27 with the NWSL Challenge Cup taking place in Utah with no fans in the stands. The league consists of nine teams, however the Orlando Pride had to withdraw from the tournament after six players and four staff members tested positive for COVID-19. Several players chose to opt out of the Challenge Cup such as United States Women’s National Team players Christen Press and Tobin Heath.

Players, referees and coaching staff have used the tournament to voice their opinions on the Black Lives Matter movement. Dozens of personnel knelt during the national anthem before its June 27 re-opener.

MLS 

Major League Soccer returned to play on July 8, four months since pausing play on March 8. The MLS is Back tournament began on Wednesday in Orlando, Florida, without fans. 

FC Dallas was removed from the tournament due to 10 players and a staff member testing positive for COVID-19, and several players have opted out of the tournament including reigning league MVP Carlos Vela of Los Angeles FC.

According to USA Today, expansion team Nashville SC withdrew from the re-opening tournament as well in the wake of nine positive test results since arriving in Orlando.

While MLS commissioner Don Garber affirmed players’ right to protest during the National Anthem, he decided to scrap the pre-game ceremony due to the absence of fans. On June 19, some MLS players announced a Black Players Coalition with over 70 Black athletes joining to “bridge the racial equality gap that exists in our league,” the coalition wrote in a statement.

NHL 

The 2020 NHL season was paused on March 12 but has plans to resume Aug. 1 with formal training camps opening July 13. CBS Sports reported that Western Conferences teams will likely play in Edmonton, Alberta, and Eastern Conference competitors in Toronto.

The top four teams in each conference will play games to determine seeding. The fifth-12th place teams will play a five game series to determine who advances to the next round against the top four teams. The 2020 season will end with the Stanley Cup final held in October.

Printed with permission from The Red & Black independent student media organization based in Athens, Georgia; redandblack.com/sports