Today in Sports: Everything is Cancelled

In response to the worldwide pandemic of Coronavirus or COVID-19 as it’s also called, the sports world in recent days has looked at trying to continue by playing the games in empty stadiums. But on March 11th, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus. The Utah at Oklahoma City NBA game scheduled for that night was abruptly postponed. Before the evening was over, the NBA put the season on hold, effective immediately. The most recent word is that the league will suspend all games for at least 30 days and then evaluate what course of action to take.

This action began a cascade of closures across the sports world, not just in North America but in the rest of the world as well.

The National Hockey League suspended play on March 12th; other hockey leagues in Europe did the same thing, The same day, individual NCAA conferences began to shut down post season conference basketball tournaments. That was followed by the NCAA calling off both the men’s and women’s NCAA Basketball Tournaments. The NCAA went even further, cancelling all winter sports as well as spring sports, ending college sports for the 2019-20 school year. No NCAA hockey, baseball, softball, or track and field.

Major League Soccer, two weeks into its season, has postponed its games for 30 days. English Premier League officials were meeting on March 13th to decide on a course of action after Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta tested positive for the virus. Some Premier League players were self isolating after being tested.

Major League Baseball suspended all preseason exhibition games as of 4 p.m. Eastern Time on March 12th, and delayed the start of the regular season at least two weeks. Opening Day for all clubs was set for March 30th. No decision on if the games would be made up or the season would be shortened. Some of that may hinge on when the season actually starts. Our guess is they won’t want to play the World Series in December, so look for a shortened season.

In auto racing, NASCAR was still planning on running it’s next two events, in Atlanta on March 15th and at Homestead-Miami on March 22nd. However, they will be racing in front of empty seats with no fans in the stands. The Formula One season opener, the Australian Grand Prix, was cancelled after a member of the McLaren racing team tested positive.

The PGA announced late on the 12th that it was cancelling the already underway Players Championship as well as the next four tour events. No word on the next event after those, the Masters, scheduled for April 9th-12th. The LPGA postponed its first three events, but plans on rescheduling. The largest professional tennis organizations are also suspending play for at least a few weeks. The World Cup skiing finals, set for later in March in Cortina d’Ampezzo in hard hit Italy, have been cancelled.

In additions to these, countless local sports events, such as high school sports, were scheduled to be played in front of very limited audiences or have been cancelled.

While all of this is a disappointment to fans and players alike, it is also the most responsible course of action. Shutting down large gatherings is a part of the solution to containing the spread of the virus, and the sooner the better.