When it comes to the coronavirus outbreak, some sports leagues are erring on the side of caution, canceling or suspending events. It sucks for sports fans and athletes, but the leagues are absolutely right to do it.
Just in the last 24 hours, the NCAA announced its annual Division 1 men’s basketball tournament will be played without fans in attendance. The NBA suspended its season after Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz tested positive for the coronavirus. A slew of conference basketball tournaments were all canceled, including major conferences such as the SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and Pac-12.
It’s understandable why a lot of sports fans would be upset about these decisions. However, when the world is going through a pandemic, public health has to be the top concern.
At the end of the day, sports are for the fans’ entertainment. Entertainment has no business trumping public health.
NBA arenas hold roughly 20,000 people, depending on the venue. Seating sections have hundreds of people sitting right next to each other. Just one infected person could quickly spread the virus. As college basketball moves into its postseason, most games are being held in arenas that are similar in size to NBA venues.
Some might argue that people should be able to decide for themselves. If a person decides the risk is worth it, they say, the fan should be able to attend. To the contrary, this is not a bodily autonomy decision.
Unfortunately, we have no idea how many people in the United States have the coronavirus because testing has been so limited. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been fewer than 10,000 coronavirus tests nationwide so far.
Many could have the coronavirus and not even know it. KidsHealth says that symptoms can take two to 14 days to start showing up.
If sporting events moved forward, infected fans might still attend because either their symptoms have not kicked in yet, they have not been tested, or they don’t want to lose the money they spent on the ticket and don’t care about the health consequences. For healthy young people, the coronavirus can be mild and have a death rate similar to influenza. But according to STAT News, the mortality rate is 14.8% among those over 80 years old.
As for the NCAA games that have been canceled or suspended, players and coaches are surely frustrated and disappointed. But there’s little incentive for schools to keep their seasons going anyway. The only college sports that generate net positive revenue are Division 1 football and men’s basketball. Everything else costs more money than it produces, so schools are saving money while keeping their students and staff safe. It’s not the same as the March Madness tournament, where TV rights are worth billions of dollars.
The NHL and MLB took some time before eventually making plans to follow suit and suspend. While MLB and other leagues first considered whether games could be moved to unaffected areas, the NBA seems to have set the precedent that others are following.
If the MLB isn’t suspended, according to ESPN, the Seattle Mariners are looking at venues other than Safeco Field to start their season. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee banned gatherings of more than 250 people in the Seattle area. If this happens in other cities around the country, which could be necessary if the coronavirus outbreak spreads, these leagues might not have a choice.
