After a four-month drought, professional sports return to television this week with live games, as the Phillies, Flyers, and 76ers all compete in exhibition games as they get in shape for their delayed on interrupted seasons.

The Phillies made their TV debut Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles. Monday they appear at 6 p.m. on NBC Sports Philadelphia for a game against the New York Yankees.

The way Major League Baseball will work for the abbreviated 2020 season is for teams to play only in their regional division, but against both leagues. This means the Phillies will face every Eastern Division team in the National and American Leagues. To keep things competitive, they will play twice as many games against NL East rivals – Washington Nationals, Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, and Miami Marlins – as they do vs. their AL counterparts from Boston, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Baltimore, and New York.

The Sixers bolt into action on NBCSP at 3:30 p.m. Friday against the Memphis Grizzlies. This contest is followed by two more, at 12 p.m. Sunday game vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder and an 8:30 p.m. duel July 28, vs. the Dallas Mavericks, both games airing on NBCSP+.

The Flyers face off at 4 p.m. July 28, against one of their storied rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins, on NBCSP+.

Television will be the primary way to see these games because social distancing precautions will prevent fans from entering stadiums to attend them in person. (It would be nice if the teams could devise some kind of mask give-away as a souvenir of this strange season.) It will be interesting to see how we respond to the absence of cheers and other crowd response.

In addition to television, all games are available for streaming on the MyTeam app and by visiting www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com.

The local NBC Sports channels have to be as happy to resume new games as fans are to have them. I have spoken to dozens of people who had said they would have had an easier time quarantining if the sports franchises were there to entertain them. Reliving a pennant drive, Super Bowl victory, or key games has its merits, but the glory of sports is watching prowess, teamwork, momentum, or just plain fate take its course.

The Phillies, Sixers, and Flyers, have been missed. It may a mental antidote to COVID confinement to have them back.

Parades to go on … virtually

Sports programming is not alone is being affected by the coronavirus and prudent measures to reduce its spread.

Philadelphia announced last week that all public activities – except for demonstrations!?! – are to be suspended through February.

That precludes several major events seen by many on television, but particularly the annual 6ABC Thanksgiving Day Parade, which is produced as well as aired by Channel 6, and the Mummer’s Parade, a New Year’s staple broadcast on Channel 17.

Neither of the presenting stations are taking the news lying down.

Neither Channel 6 nor Channel 17 is declaring their respective parades a demonstration.

Both are salvaging celebration from sad reality by putting on what amounts to virtual parades married with documentary sections, and from Channel 17, some new material.

In a statement acknowledging the safety of performers, fans, residents, and station employees, Channel 17 general manager Vince Giannini, said Channel 17 was committed to usher in 2021 with a Mummer’s program. Right now, that means a mix of highlights from past New Year’s marches and new material that will be produced during the next five months.

Channel 6 was not as specific but indicated it would air a Thanksgiving Day program that included highlights from 35 years of Turkey Trots since the station rescued Philadelphia’s Thanksgiving extravaganza from oblivion.

Philadelphia is not alone in taking sensible steps to limit COVID contagion. The annual Rose Bowl Parade has been cancelled in Pasadena, and there will be no Macy’s march down Broadway in New York.

Neal Zoren’s television column appears every Monday.