It’s sure felt longer than two months.

That’s how long it’s been since the sports world as we know it came to an unexpected pause in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. From West Virginia to Ohio to New York, the impact has been felt not just nationwide, but on a global scale, too.

The pandemic has had a personal impact on me over the last two months. Ordinarily, I work as a sports anchor for a television station, but with the lack of sporting events both locally and nationally, I’ve made the transition to a news anchor until sports returns. I’m not the only sports anchor in the country who’s made this adjustment, but it’s been a new experience as I’ve been able to put together sports stories at times, but those instances have been sporadic.

Despite the uncertainty, there have been signs of hope that the return of sports is not far away. Saturday will mark the resumption of the Bundesliga season in Germany, while Sunday sees NASCAR drivers take to the track at Darlington, and Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson will face Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff in a golf charity match. While fans will still not be allowed to attend, we’ve certainly reached the point where that is a better alternative to no sports at all.

It’s not just the world of sports that’s been affected. High schools and colleges are having to adjust the ends to their school years and graduation ceremonies, with many universities having to make painful decisions regarding budget and staff reductions. The primary and general elections this year will also be impacted. COVID-19 has affected the world in multiple ways, some which will be irreparable, some which will permanently affect the way the world functions.

But the return of some sports in mid-May suggests we’ve finally reached the point where there is a light at the end of the tunnel. How much further we have to travel to get out of the tunnel is still in question, but ideally things will slowly return to normal as we all await a vaccine. Until then, it’s up to the Bundesliga, NASCAR, and golf for now to keep sports fans entertained!