How the Coronavirus will affect the Sporting World

By: Adamo Marinelli

March 12th, 2020

With each passing day, the spread of the coronavirus - medically referred to as Covid-19 - worsens as the disease infects more people in several countries all over the world. 

     In the sports world, Covid-19 continues to affect many leagues in fear of rapid transmission of the disease. 

     Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert showed symptoms of the Coronavirus yesterday evening, which caused the game between the Jazz and the Thunder to be postponed. Players on both teams were quarantined in the arena. 

     Shortly after, NBA commissioner Adam Silver decided to suspend the rest of the 2019-20 season indefinitely to avoid infecting more players. “The NBA will use the hiatus to determine the next steps moving forward,” a statement from the league read.

     In addition, the NCAA March Madness tournaments for both men and women will supposedly play with no fans in the stands. They will just have essential team staff and media personnel in attendance. However, due to multiple NCAA tournaments such as the SEC, Big Ten, ACC, Big 12, Pac-12, and WAC being canceled due to fear of Covid-19, it is speculated that the March Madness tournament for both men and women will be canceled due to the virus. Update: At 4:28 pm Eastern Time, ESPN announced that the 2020 March Madness tournament would be canceled for both men and women. All other tournaments leading up to March Madness will also be canceled.

     The MLS has also suspended its season for at least 30 days amidst fears of the Covid-19 outbreak, according to multiple reports by ESPN. 

     In international soccer, La Liga has also been suspended for at least two weeks due to fear of the disease and players and staff on Real Madrid are all in quarantine at their training complex due to the coronavirus. Multiple international friendlies have also been canceled, including between Italy and Spain. 

     The NHL’s board of directors and player safety organization will meet later today to discuss the future of its season. Many teams like the San Jose Sharks and the Columbus Blue Jackets among others are already planning on playing games with no fans in the stands due to state regulations, but after the NBA decided to suspend its season indefinitely, the NHL might follow suit. All morning skates and practices have been canceled this morning in advance of the decision. Update: At 1:31 pm Eastern Time, the league made the decision to suspend the remainder of the NHL season because of Covid-19.

     Furthermore, the MLB has canceled its Spring Training practices and games happening in the Grapefruit League, according to Jon Heyman of the MLB network. The Blue Jays are one of 15 teams to be affected by this move. Update: At 3:10 pm Eastern time, the MLB announced that Opening day and the regular season will be pushed back for at least 2 weeks as well.

Update: Finally, according to the Score, the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament could be pushed back to 2021. Delaying the tournament a year is the main option being explored by club executives. It would not be good to have so much traveling all over Europe amidst a crisis of this magnitude.

     As the virus continues to spread, the sporting world will need to continue to take the necessary precautions to keep all the players and staff safe. Donovan Mitchell, a teammate of Rudy Gobert has also tested positive for the virus. He is the only other teammate as of now on the Jazz that has shown symptoms. However, all teams that have played the Jazz in the last 10 days - the Raptors, Pistons, Knicks, Celtics, and Cavaliers - have all been told to self-quarantine while awaiting test results. Our prayers are with all the athletes and everyone affected by the disease.

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Updates to follow as the story continues to develop.