Coronavirus In The World Of Sports: Updates On Major Story Lines

ACROSS AMERICA — With more cases of the new coronavirus being diagnosed daily in the United States, sports institutions throughout the nation are grappling with the best ways to keep people safe.

On Wednesday, the Golden State Warriors announced the team would play its Thursday game against the Brooklyn Nets with no fans inside the Chase Center. Additionally, the Seattle Mariners will move home games out of Seattle through the end of March.

The biggest news, though, was an announcement from the NCAA that the upcoming college championship events including the Division 1 men's and women's basketball tournaments will limit spectators to only essential staff and some family.

The statement Wednesday from the NCAA comes in the wake of the Ivy League canceling its men's and women's basketball conference tournaments because of concerns about the spread of coronavirus.

Here are the biggest developments surrounding the world of sports as of Wednesday afternoon.

Olympics

A day after a member of the local organizing committee of the Tokyo Olympics said he would recommend postponing the summer games in Japan, organizers held a news conference Wednesday to confirm that the Olympics were still on track for this summer.

"Our basic stance is to proceed with our preparation and to hold a safe Olympics," Yoshiro Mori, the chairman of the Tokyo organizing committee, said in the news conference.

The flame lighting ceremony Thursday in Greece is to take place with no fans in attendance.

You can read more at the New York Times.

College Basketball

With the March Madness NCAA Basketball Tournament scheduled to begin Tuesday, the NCAA has officially limited spectators to essential team personnel and some family. The limitation is expected to extend to all the conference championships in the lead-up to March Madness.

"While I understand how disappointing this is for all fans of our sports, my decision is based on the current understanding of how COVID-19 is progressing in the United States," NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a statement Wednesday. "This decision is in the best interest of public health, including that of coaches, administrators, fans and, more importantly, our student athletes."

Here are other major recent story lines to emerge from coronavirus related concerns in college basketball:

• The Ivy League canceled its conference tournament Tuesday and awarded NCAA Tournament bids to the regular-season champions Yale (men's) and Princeton (women's). The Ivy League also announced Wednesday that all spring sports would be canceled amid the growing coronavirus concerns.
• The College Basketball Invitational Tournament has been canceled.
• The Big East tournament said it will limit locker room access to student athletes, coaches and essential team personnel.

NBA

The Golden State Warriors announced Wednesday that the team would play its Thursday game against the Brooklyn Nets with no fans inside the Chase Center. It is the first game in the National Basketball Association to put a limit on fan attendance due to fears around the coronavirus.

Here are other major recent story lines to emerge from safety-related concerns in the NBA:

• The NBA announced Monday that it was limiting locker room access to players, coaches and essential team personnel over coronavirus-related concerns. Additionally, the league has advised players to avoid postgame handshakes and instead go with fist bumps.
• According to ESPN, the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association met Wednesday to discuss possible ways to continue the season without the cancellation or loss of games.

MLB & NHL

Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League have also banned media members from entering locker rooms.

While the baseball season hasn't started yet, the MLB is looking at alternative plans for moving teams in cities with a high number of coronavirus cases to play in areas less affected by the outbreak, according to the Wall Street Journal.

On the other hand, the NHL has banned league employees from overseas business travel but is waiting to see how the situation unfolds.

MLS

The Seattle Sounders have postponed the team's March 21 home match against Dallas. The Seattle area has been one of the hardest-hit areas in the United States, and the governor Wednesday banned all gatherings of more than 250 people in the city.

Read More

Coronavirus United States: Update For Wednesday, March 11

NCAA Bans Spectators From Upcoming March Madness Tournament

Ivy League Cancels Spring Sports Season Due To Coronavirus Fears