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Warriors, Nets to Be Guinea Pigs in First NBA Game Without Fans

Warriors, Nets to Be Guinea Pigs in First NBA Game Without Fans

(Bloomberg) -- National Basketball Association players, owners and fans will get their first taste of what a game looks like with no spectators cheering from the seats.

The Golden State Warriors announced that fans will be barred from Thursday night’s game against the Brooklyn Nets in San Francisco as the city tries to contain the coronavirus outbreak. Ticket holders will get refunds, and other events at the team’s Chase Center will be canceled or postponed until March 21.

The team had little choice. After holding a regular game on Tuesday, against the wishes of a local health officer, the city stepped in with an order prohibiting events with 1,000 or more people. Mayor London Breed said in a statement that she spoke with the Warriors and that they were “in support of our efforts.”

Around the world, sports organizations have increasingly been playing matches without spectators. But U.S. leagues have been reluctant to embrace the idea. On Tuesday, the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets defied a request from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine to restrict crowds at all indoor sporting events.

The NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, another Ohio team, said in a joint statement with Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse arena that fans would remain welcome at events. That includes a game Sunday played by the Cleveland Monsters hockey team, an affiliate of the Blue Jackets. But the Cavaliers are on the road until March 24, so their resolve may not be truly tested until then.

The issue is also coming to a head for Major League Baseball, which starts its regular season this month. The Seattle Mariners, who play in the hardest-hit area of the U.S., are looking to play their March games at alternate sites. Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced that large groups would be banned through the end of the month.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr joked on Tuesday that it wouldn’t be the first time he’d experienced a game with no fans in attendance.

“I’ve played on a couple of teams where it felt like that was the case at times,” he said.

To contact the reporters on this story: Nick Turner in Los Angeles at nturner7@bloomberg.net;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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