by It’s no secret that people’s lives have been greatly upended by the recent outbreak of coronavirus. Quarantine, social distancing and “shelter-in-place” rules are being put into effect across the world. We are definitely living in a different world now, one that is hopefully temporary. For many people, the new normal has put an end to their favorite activities and ways to pass the time. Here’s a look at just some of the hobbies completely destroyed by COVID-19:
Board Gaming
This is a personal hit for me since I love board games and often host board game nights at my place. Board gaming is a great hobby and the in-person socializing aspect is what really sets it apart from playing video games or doing some puzzle by yourself. There’s nothing like gathering with friends around the table for two or three hours of simulated farming!
Now that’s next to impossible. Some people may be fortunate enough to be shut in with roommates or family members who enjoy playing games, but others are all alone or stuck with people who aren’t interested in finding out who murdred Mr. Body.
Sports
Both watching and playing sports have taken a huge dive during the days of social-distancing. The outbreak hit the US in the lead up to March Madness, which was cancelled for 2020. Pretty much every sport has been impacted by this pandemic. Some sports continued to host games without live audiences, but as players started testing positive for COVID-19, it was clear any team sports represented a serious health risk.
One might think golf would be uniquely qualified to continue during this pandemic, but the PGA Tour has already been postponed and could end up being put off even further or cancelled all together. As for golf courses, though, many are still open and operational. Let’s keep it one person to a golf cart, though!
The good news is that it looks like sports might be coming back online in places like Korea where they’ve managed to get over the hump of the outbreak. Will this be a good idea, though? The world will likely look to them to see if we can start hitting the fields again ourselves or if we’ll have to hold off until next year, like the 2020 Olympics.
Of course, even if games were being played, live audienced would be out o the question these days unless you want to fill Shae stadium with only 12 people instead of the usual 45,000. But since professional and college sports are on hiatus, there’s nothing to watch anyway, even from the safety of your own home.
Even Dr. Fauci himself has gone on record saying we may have to do without sports for a while.
Dance
The outbreak hasn’t been great for dance, and I’m not just referring to the Dean of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts rather insensitive dance video response to students’ concerns over high tuitions. Of course, professional dancers are probably the hardest hit as Broadway shows and the like shut down, but even the hobbyist dancers are finding themselves having to adjust.
Whether you were out grinding in the club, joining in on flash mob or hitting the ballroom dancing scene with your life partner, you’ll be looking for new ways to shake that booty now. Fortunately, dance is something you can easily do entirely on your own. Unfortunately, it’s much more fun and rewarding when you’re out on the town.
Still, people have found ways to adapt. Many dance classes are continuing through online instruction and even John Krasinski, aka Jim from The Office, aka Jack Ryan, hosted a virtual prom for the Class of 2020 since most, if not all, proms have been cancelled this year.
Improv & Acting
Similar to dance, these performance-based hobbies have taken a hit. Unlike dance, it’s much harder to do alone and even impossible. Sure you can still practice your acting in front of a mirror or memorize your lines, but the real joy of acting happens on stage in front of an audience.
And you can kiss improv goodbye. Theaters across the country have shut down and closed their improv classes. Many still offer online classes, because they gotta make money somehow in the interrim. But improv especially needs an audience to feed off of and of course other performers on stage for you to work with. One of the biggest draws of improv classes is the promise of performing live on stage during a show.
Camping & Fishing
This one might come as a surprise since what says social distancing more than hiding in the woods surviving off the land? But the reality is that most camping and outdoor roughing in the US happens in carefully curated parks with communal ammentities like parking, bathrooms, grills and more.
Not to mention the travel. Unless you’re pitching a tent in your backyard, you’re probably going to need to hit the road. That actually makes parks and campsites a nexus for spreading disease across long distance. So, it’s no wonder many state and national parks have closed up during the outbreak. Some are beginning to reopen with precautions in place, but if you’re thinking about heading for the great outdoors, you might be safer locked away at home where you don’t have to share a portapotty with strangers from Rochester.
Was Your Hobby Hit?
These aren’t the only hobbies affected by COVID-19. Everyone is having to make serious adjustments to their normal routines. While some hobbies are certainly harder to do or outright impossible in today’s reality, there are other hobbies perfect for passing the time in isolation.
Let us know how your hobby has been impacted and what you’re doing to cope.
