It’s madness to play games with fans in the stands.
The Coronavirus and college basketball don’t mix. On Tuesday, the Ivy League announced it had canceled its post-season basketball tournaments (men and women). The Mid-America Conference and the Big West Conference said that they will hold their tournaments without the presence of general admission fans.
What about major conferences?
I live in ACC country, so what did that conference decide? Yesterday, workers at the Greensboro (NC) Coliseum (where the tournament will be held this year) wiped down benches and seats. A statement from the Conference read: “After consultation with local and state health authorities, including the Governor and his medical staff, the Atlantic Coast Conference will hold its men’s basketball tournament as scheduled this week. We will continue to take precautionary measures and follow the guidelines outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition, the league and the Greensboro Coliseum are taking additional measures to provide a safe and clean environment for its institutions and fans.”
What about the other conferences? In Nashville, the Southeastern Conference will go on as scheduled. As of Wednesdays morning, the Big Ten, Big 12, Big East, and PAC-12 tournaments are on, too.
We are told by Dr. Fauci (CDC) and others that the virus will continue to spread by human-to-human contact. Isolate. Work from home. Avoid contact with contaminated surfaces. Many colleges and universities have suspended face-to-face classes. Some public schools have closed until further notice. Biden and Sanders canceled campaign rallies.
Courtesy: Allstartoday
What about major college basketball? It’s business as usual with emphasis on the word BUSINESS.
I suggest that everyone in charge read Edgar A. Poe’s timely short story, The Masques of the Red Death, and then ask if what they are doing is wise.
It’s irresponsible for the major college sports–the schools, conferences, and the NCAA–to position money above public health.
Yesterday at the ACC tournament, Pitt beat Wake Forest, and UNC surprised Virginia Tech. Today, four games are scheduled. But in the real world, North Carolina governor Roy Cooper declared a statewide State of Emergency–for the same state where the ACC tournament is being played.
Welcome to March Madness.
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Publishers note: Although major conference tournaments began with fans in the stands, that situation changed in a matter of a few hours on Wednesday–a matter of a few hours after this article was published. Starting today (Th), none of the tournaments will be played before fans, and neither will the Division 1 NCAA tournament, which begins a week from today. Although those decisions represent a welcome policy change, at issue is why a shift had to be made in the first place. In accordance with an abundance of caution–and consistent with lessons learned from the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918, which has been researched by academics at America’s universities–the subsequent call should have been the initial call.
