GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Mama never said there would be days quite like this.
March 11, 2020 is a date that will go down as one of the most bizarre days the American sports landscape has ever seen. The World Health Organization declared the current Coronavirus situation as a pandemic, and the sports world took note.
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What exactly happened?
- Several college basketball conference tournaments, then ACC among them, announced they would continue playing games, but would not allow fans in to watch.
- The NBA game between Utah and Oklahoma City was literally moments away from tip-off, when the proceedings were stopped. It was learned a player had tested positive for the virus. The game was postponed.
- After that, the NBA suspended their season. So did the NBA's developmental G-League.
- The MEAC announced their tournament would be business as usual on Thursday, but limited spectator rules would go into place beginning Friday.
- The PGA Tour said The Players Championship will go on as scheduled, with an 8am start Thursday morning.
- The NHL released a statement saying they saw what the NBA had done, and were monitoring the situation.
These organizations are doing what they think is best, but the best move might be to just shut things down for a while. Not forever. Just for a while.
"Social distancing," is a phrase that is now the rallying cry for slowing, and stopping the spread of the virus. Keep people away from each other. If you cough alone, you can't spread it. Let me admit, I am no doctor, but that does make a lot of sense.
I am not in the business of telling people how to run their businesses, or live their lives. If keeping large gatherings from taking place will make an impact in reducing this scenario, then I am all for it.
Yes, I get paid to cover sporting events that are attended by large numbers of people. If taking a break from that means that I can continue doing this job for another 20 years, it's a very small price to pay.
So, where do I sign up?