Scott Van Pelt was the one tasked with handling SportsCenter duties the night the NBA shut down, effectively signaling that the sports world as a whole would be coming to a halt as the COVID-19 pandemic made its first tangible impact on sports. It was a surreal night and one that, nine months later remains a defining moment of this year in sports and beyond, as it became the moment that many began really taking to pandemic seriously.
Sports are back now, but the virus is spreading at a greater rate than ever, with sports leagues pressing onward through positive tests and postponements that have become normalcy. At ESPN, the pandemic has led to a number of changes as well, with many of their analysts working remotely and commentating teams in some sports working from home or a studio.
Van Pelt’s seen a change as well, as he’s moved his midnight SportsCenter to ESPN’s Washington D.C. studio space, as he moved back home to the DMV area from Bristol. His edition of SportsCenter has become a favorite for fans due to segments like Bad Beats and Winners, as well as the free-flowing conversations he has with athlete guest and ESPN analysts. However, Van Pelt announced he will be off air for “a bit” after testing positive for COVID-19 this week.
Won’t be doing shows for a bit after a positive Covid-19 test. Thankfully, no fever & I feel fine. Just can’t smell or taste anything which was my clue to go get a test.
So, I will hunker down and hopefully can be back at it before too long.
— Scott Van Pelt (@notthefakeSVP) December 17, 2020
One would assume Van Pelt’s slot will be filled by the L.A. SportsCenter crew, but the hope is obviously that SVP remains symptom free aside from his loss of taste and smell and is able to make a full and speedy recovery.