The sports world is a community where individuals can sometimes go to escape from reality.
March 11, 2020 began like most for that community. Fans were getting ready to watch their favorite teams that night.
Within the next twenty-four hours, the sports world would be turned upside down, seeing cancellations and suspensions of some of the biggest games and leagues that sports has worldwide.
The news began around 1:00 p.m. CST when the Golden State Warriors announced that they would close their home games to fans.
It was from there that the dominos fell. Hours later, the NCAA followed suit, releasing a statement that March Madness would also be played without fans. Only family and necessary personnel would be in attendance of the games in the Big Dance.
Around 8:00 p.m. CST, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz postponed their game due to Jazz center Rudy Gobert feeling ill.
Less than an hour later, Gobert tested positive for Coronavirus, and four minutes later, the NBA was suspended until further notice.
The NBA has suspended the season.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 12, 2020
This morning, Gobert’s teammate Donovan Mitchell tested positive for the virus. He was among a group of over 50 that was tested last night as a result of the Gobert announcement.
Since the NBA’s suspension, thirteen NCAA basketball conference tournaments have been cancelled and the NBA’s G League suspended action.
This morning, the mayhem continued when the NHL announced their league suspension. The MLB is expected to do the same today, MLB insider Jeff Passan reported.
After a conference call among owners this afternoon, Major League Baseball is expected to suspend spring training. The league likely will delay the beginning of the regular season as well. At this point, it’s a formality that ownership-level sources expect to happen.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 12, 2020
Other leagues affected include the MLS and PGA.