NCAA and NBA shut down in wake of the coronavirus

By: Deandre Hogg

Sports Editor

March 16 was supposed to be the starting date of the NCAA March Madness tournament as well as the last leg of the NBA regular season which was supposed to be completed on April 16.

The NCAA tournament and the rest of the NBA season are both on hiatus now due to the recent coronavirus outbreak. Athletes were thought to be at a higher risk for the virus due to their excessive traveling to and from games as well as the hand-to-hand contact they have with others.

While higher executives and owners pledged to play games without fans, limiting media access in the locker room, and even shorting the season they eventually came to the conclusion that the risk was still too great and that the lockdown was necessary.

The coronavirus became an epidemic in the U.S. and then entered the sports realm when the starting center of the Utah Jazz Rudy Gobert contracted the virus.

Once Gobert tested positive for the virus, team doctors for the Jazz immediately called the NBA office and asked for the cancellation of the season.

The coronavirus has stripped not only the public but also the players of sports until the curve has flattened out, however, league owners in the NBA and NCAA officials are very optimistic that games will resume by the second week of April.

Both leagues are worried about the amount of money they will lose due to the lockdown. The estimated cost is between 446 million and 933 million dollars alone.

If the curve for the virus has not flattened by mid-June, then this season is already lost, and both the NCAA basketball and NBA seasons will start preparing for either the late Fall of 2020 or 2021.

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