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NCAA, Baseball and NHL Complete Near-Shutdown of U.S. Sports

NHL Is Close to Joining the NBA in Suspending Its Season

(Bloomberg) -- The NCAA, Major League Baseball, PGA Tour and the National Hockey League will suspend play in response to the coronavirus, joining other U.S. organizations in virtually shutting down major spectator sports across the country.

The NCAA said Thursday that it was calling off March Madness, the mammoth men’s college-basketball tournament that spans 14 cities, along with the women’s tournament and other remaining championships. It had previously proposed holding March Madness without spectators in the arena, but the plan only lasted one day.

MLB, meanwhile, will delay opening day -- scheduled for the end of March -- by at least two weeks. And spring training will be canceled as of 4 p.m. New York time on Thursday, the league said.

NCAA, Baseball and NHL Complete Near-Shutdown of U.S. Sports

“This action is being taken in the interests of the safety and well-being of our players, clubs and our millions of loyal fans,” the league said in a statement. “MLB will continue to evaluate ongoing events leading up to the start of the season.”

Professional golf’s series, the PGA Tour, canceled all events in coming weeks through the Valero Texas Open, which had been scheduled to start April 2, according to the tour’s website. The Players Championship, a $15-million-purse tournament to have started March 12 in Florida, was also called off.

Hockey, which only had a month left of its regular season, is taking a similar step, following the lead of the National Basketball Association. After a call with owners, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the league would pause the season beginning with Thursday night’s games. Referees have already been told to go home, a person familiar with the situation said earlier.

“Our goal is to resume play as soon as it is appropriate and prudent, so that we will be able to complete the season and award the Stanley Cup,” Bettman said in a statement. “Until then, we thank NHL fans for your patience and hope you stay healthy.”

Major League Soccer and the National Lacrosse League are also putting activities on hold. The MLS said it would suspend matches for 30 days, effective immediately.

The NBA paused its season after a player tested positive for coronavirus, ending its efforts to maintain business as usual during the outbreak. A player on the Utah Jazz received the diagnosis on a preliminary basis, the NBA said Wednesday. The test result came shortly before the Jazz were to play the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the game was scrapped. The NBA later announced it was also suspending the season for its developmental league, the G League.

According to Bettman, one of the reasons he chose to suspend the season is the potential for cross-contamination among NBA and NHL players and personnel. A number of teams in the NHL and NBA share the same arena and common spaces. That includes the Knicks and Rangers at Madison Square Garden in New York; the Lakers, Clippers and Kings at Staples Center in Los Angeles; and the Mavericks and Stars in Dallas.

NCAA said earlier on Wednesday that it would bar fans from March Madness, but when other sports began shutting down altogether, it became clear the position wasn’t tenable. So the event was canceled.

“This decision is based on the evolving Covid-19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to spread of the pandemic, and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given ongoing decisions by other entities,” the association said on Thursday.

Around the sports world this week, others have been scaling back activities and -- in some cases -- canceling whole seasons:

  • Colleges such as Duke University have suspended athletics indefinitely. University of Kansas, another basketball powerhouse, canceled athletic travel and events.
  • The National Football League called off its annual meeting that was slated to begin on March 29.
  • In Boston, local media reported that the city’s world-famous marathon will be postponed. It had been set for April 20.

Earlier, the NHL told clubs not to conduct morning practices or team meetings while the league made plans.

The league’s union, meanwhile, applauded the decision to halt the season.

“The decision to temporarily suspend play due to the Covid-19 pandemic is an appropriate course of action at this time,” the players’ association said. “The players are looking forward to the opportunity to resume play in front of hockey fans everywhere.”

To contact the reporters on this story: Scott Soshnick in New York at ssoshnick@bloomberg.net;Eben Novy-Williams in New York at enovywilliam@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Nick Turner at nturner7@bloomberg.net, Rob Golum

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