March 11, 2020 will officially go down as one of the worst days in sports history, courtesy of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Here’s a quick rundown of what went down:
The NCAA's men's and women's tournaments will be held without fans — and only essential staff and limited family attendance.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 11, 2020
The NBA has suspended the season.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 12, 2020
The Ivy League Presidents are announcing their unanimous decision to cancel all spring athletics practice and competition through the remainder of the academic year amid further developments in the outbreak of COVID-19.
📰 » https://t.co/LVTUxHsswo pic.twitter.com/VAL7IkBWaB
— The Ivy League (@IvyLeague) March 11, 2020
And just for good measure, of course they had to throw my favorite actor Tom Hanks into the mix.
— Tom Hanks (@tomhanks) March 12, 2020
I never thought I’d say this, but it’s finally time we show COVID-19 some respect. March Madness is by far the biggest sporting event of the spring, and a major money machine for the NCAA. So the fact that no spectators will be allowed in the games is a major blow and will cause serious monetary implications. What’s even more scary is that this could get worse…they could very well end up canceling the entire tournament amid fear that players could catch the virus whenever and wherever.
While it’s unlikely that the entire NBA season will come to an end, it is postponed until further notice after Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. It’s not clear how long this hiatus will last, but it would be devastating if the entire rest of the season was cancelled because of this. I couldn’t imagine being in the front office of a title-contending team like the Lakers, Bucks, or Clippers right now knowing that all the offseason moves they made might’ve been for nothing.
The Ivy League took it one step further by already canceling the remainder of the season for all spring sports. To have trained tirelessly all offseason just to have the rest your season cancelled just as it’s getting started is truly devastating from a college athlete’s perspective. Not to undersell the impact this has on NBA players and other professional athletes, but those guys have already made it. For most college athletes, they get four years to play the sport they love before being unleashed on the real world. I truly couldn’t feel worse for all the seniors in the Ivy League who will miss out on the rest of their season because of it. You might be saying “it’s just sports” or “those Ivy League kids are going to be rich anyway” but it’s so much more of that. If you’re in that group, I apologize if this comes off as pretentious, but unless you played sports in college (which I did) you wouldn’t get it. It takes such a high level of commitment and dedication to play sports in college and especially the Division 1 level.
I haven’t even mentioned the implications this could have (and is already having) on the NHL, MLB, PGA Tour, and the Olympics. The NHL is nearing the end of its season which means the playoffs could be affected, the PGA Tour has no plans to cancel any events, but as we near The Masters it’s something to keep in mind as a possibility, and there’s a good chance the MLB season could be delayed or have empty stadiums. However, in my mind the biggest question pertains to the status of the 2020 Summer Olympics due to it’s close proximity to China, where COVID-19 originated. What’s interesting, though, is that they have less confirmed cases and deaths than the U.S. The Olympics are by far the most important sporting event of the year in terms of global impact, so if they were to get delayed or canceled, it would be devastating.
Of course overall public health is the main concern and is the driving force behind the decisions these league commissioners and board members have been making, BUT I do think they have been premature and excessive. And yes, I can admit COVID-19 deserves respect while at the same time saying that the sporting cancelations are excessive. The following chart shows the death rate from COVID-19 as of 10 pm 3/10/20 via worldometer:
|
AGE
|
DEATH RATE confirmed cases |
DEATH RATE all cases |
|
80+ years old
|
21.9%
|
14.8%
|
|
70-79 years old
|
8.0%
|
|
|
60-69 years old
|
3.6%
|
|
|
50-59 years old
|
1.3%
|
|
|
40-49 years old
|
0.4%
|
|
|
30-39 years old
|
0.2%
|
|
|
20-29 years old
|
0.2%
|
|
|
10-19 years old
|
0.2%
|
|
| 0-9 years old |
no fatalities
|
As you can see, the elderly are most at risk from dying from the virus which isn’t surprising since underlying health conditions such as emphysema, hypertension, diabetes, etc. are more common. And from what I’m gathering, people in good health like Tom Hanks, Rudy Gobert, and college/pro athletes experience mild symptoms. I’m really not sure what happens next, but all I can do is remain optimistic that this thing doesn’t get even more out of hand than it already is (unlikely). And thanks to the news and internet, the hysteria is growing more rampant everyday. The next most important thing COVID-19 could take away from me is the Eagles concert scheduled in April. If I am denied a live rendition of Hotel California by Don Henley 2020 will officially be the worst year in history.
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