Josh Embry
Sports Editor
Amid the recent outbreak of COVID-19 in the United States, the majority of professional and college sport leagues have canceled tournaments and postponed or suspended seasons altogether.
On Wednesday, March 11, the NBA issued a statement that it will suspend regular season play until further notice. The decision comes after Rudy Gobert, French center for the Utah Jazz, was diagnosed with COVID-19 prior to a game between the Jazz and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Gobert was not present at the game, but had last played on Monday, March 9, in a game against the Toronto Raptors in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is unknown whether or not Gobert had the illness prior to Wednesday.
On Thursday, March 12, Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell tested positive for the virus. He was the only one of 58 Jazz players and personnel who tested positive. Five teams who have played the Jazz in the last games (Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors) have been asked by the league to self-quarantine.
Along with the NBA, the NHL, MLS and the MLB have each suspended their respective seasons. The NHL has suspended its season until further notice, MLS suspended its season for 30 days and the MLB has canceled spring training and pushed the start of its regular season back by two weeks.
On Thursday afternoon, the NCAA made the unprecedented decision to cancel the Division I men’s and women’s 2020 basketball tournaments along with remaining winter and spring championships to “ensure the events do not contribute to [the] spread of the pandemic,” according to a statement by the NCAA.
Multiple NCAA conferences, like the AAC, ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Big East, Pac-12 and SEC, have canceled their respective basketball tournaments.
Murray State men’s basketball, which did not earn a ticket to the NCAA Tournament after losing in the OVC Championship, still had a solid chance of receiving an invite to the College Basketball Invitational. However, a statement was released that said the Invitational was canceled for 2020 and will return in 2021.
Additionally, Murray State rifle was scheduled to participate in the NCAA Rifle Championships on Friday, March 13, and Saturday, March 14, in Lexington, Kentucky. However, with the NCAA’s announcement, that too is canceled.
The OVC Board of Presidents announced on Thursday evening that all athletic-related activities, including competition and formal practices, will be suspended until further notice. According to the statement, all recruiting-related travel is suspended until April 3 as well.
With the announcement, all Murray State spring sports, including softball’s 2020 Racer Classic that was set for this weekend, have been canceled and it is unknown as to when play will resume.
