When we first got word that Utah Jazz Center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19(Coronavirus), the hope that an NBA season would continue was immediately deflated. The first case of an NBA player contracting the virus would surely mean that the league would now have to make a BIG decision. After receiving the news, the league would go on to suspend the NBA season for what is now said to be at least a 30 day suspension. This morning we received more unfortunate information regarding the virus and the NBA. Gobert’s teammate Donovan Mitchell tested positive for coronavirus early this morning. The news shocked the sports world and depicted the rapid spread of the virus so that all sports fans could see.
Yesterday over 12 conference tournaments were cancelled for men’s and women’s college basketball. Earlier today we got news that the biggest tournament of them all would now officially be cancelled for the 2022 season. The NCAA championship tournament, or March Madness as most call it, will not exist this year. Fans now hold a sense of sadness, confusion, and disappointment as they are left with no March Madness, which is a staple in college sports. With both men’s and women’s college basketball seasons coming to a screeching halt, players, coaches, and fans are left feeling empty. Senior student-athletes pursuing professional careers are uncertain whether they will be overlooked by teams now since they can’t boost their personal resumes with a deep tournament run. The NCAA has not only cancelled basketball, they have cancelled all winter and spring sporting events for the rest of the 2020 school year. The affected student-athletes will be hurt the most by this cancellation because of the obstacles they will have to overcome to be allowed to use another year of eligibility for next year.
The NHL, MLB, and MLS have suspended operations as of today. High school sports championship tournaments for winter sports are currently concluding, many of which are being played without fans in attendance. Popular high school championship tournaments in states across the entire nation have been cancelled as well. One of the only major professional sports leagues, the English Premier League, announced that they will continue to play matches this weekend. However this was before news broke that Arsenal manager Mike Arteta tested positive for the virus.
As the world of sports is being held off, avid sports fans like myself are looking for ways to cope with the loss of excitement the month of March brings. We’ve always used sports as a way to heal fast and come together, but doing that is working against us right now. That’s why this is so devastating.
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