Little by little, some of our favorite sports are returning to action. Unfortunately, some of them are heading in the other direction, too.

While athletes’ voices are powerful on their own, backing from teams and strong action taken throughout organizations are imperative if we want to see real and necessary change driven by sports.

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, we’re still dealing with a lot of ifs, buts, and maybes about sports that should be starting up again soon.

The death of George Floyd has caused civil unrest in America — in the days since his murder on May 25th in Minneapolis, Minnesota, we have seen protests, ongoing police brutality, and a complete lack of leadership from the White House. In its absence, athletes, teams and leagues have been using their voices to call for justice and reform.

The NHL is the first pro league in North America to give us hope a real, detailed plan for returning to play. Meanwhile, the MLB is disrespecting its players, the NFL is wearing rose-colored glasses and the NBA is stringing us along. Does this situation remind you of a rom-com or what?

Before any of the men’s pro leagues will see sports action, the women will get to show them how it’s done. Classic. The NWSL is planning a month-long tournament to kick-start the regular season and we can hardly wait.

This week co-hosts Ellen and Steph are joined by Nicole Durand, who was born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus, Julia Rose, whose four-year-old son has a condition that forces him to rely on tubes to survive for 12 hours a day and Ryan Kinsella whose son Quinn has cystic fibrosis. They share their stories on how sports have changed their and their families’ lives, and why accessibility in sport matters. Talk about gaining perspective.

The NBA’s and the NHL’s plans to return to play are well underway, and with the players’ associations now giving the go-ahead, we could be in for a summer of intense action. So much for summertime sadness.

This weekend, TSN Soccer’s Twitter account made a little whoopsie when they asked in a poll if 19-year-old Alphonso Davies is already Canada’s greatest soccer player. Obviously we think they meant male soccer player, but before they could correct themselves, Canadian Twitter made sure to let them know who the real MVP is: the legend herself, Christine Sinclair. This is why we love social media.

It was a crossover for the ages. Two of the best NFL quarterbacks, Tampa Bay Buccaneer Tom Brady and retired Denver Bronco and Indianapolis Colt Peyton Manning, and two of the best golfers, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, faced off in a charity golf game yesterday, and sports fans everywhere rejoiced.