Coronavirus halts US sports: What’s been canceled, postponed
In a wild span of 48 hours of precautions and reactions to the spread of coronavirus, the sports landscape went from conducting business as usual to preparing for fan-less venues to near-total shutdown.
The Post’s Ryan Dunleavy takes a look at everything that happened, including the indefinite suspension or delayed start of three major professional leagues and the abrupt end of the college basketball season, without March Madness:
Tuesday
11:21 a.m. The Ivy League becomes first conference to cancel men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, declaring regular-season champions as NCAA Tournament automatic-berth recipients.
Wednesday
12:42 p.m. College Basketball Invitational canceled.
1:16 p.m. MLB reportedly considering alternate sites for games.
2:10 p.m. Warriors announce Thursday game against the Nets will be played without fans in compliance with San Francisco government orders.
2:44 p.m. Ohio governor announces Tuesday’s NCAA Tournament First Four in Dayton will be closed to fans.
3 p.m. Ivy League cancels all practices and competitions through the remainder of the academic year.
4:15 p.m. NCAA panel advises against allowing fans into sporting events.
4:30 p.m. NCAA announces men’s basketball tournament will be held as scheduled but closed to fans.
5:24 p.m. University of Michigan cancels spring football game. Ohio State follows suit.
6 p.m. Juventus soccer player Daniele Rugani becomes first known professional athlete to test positive for coronavirus.
6:38 p.m. Big Ten closes men’s basketball tournament and all spring sports competition to fans.
![The backpage from March 13.](https://vip.nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/03/backpage-031220.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=394)
7:58 p.m. ACC closes men’s basketball tournament to fans.
8:40 p.m. Jazz-Thunder NBA game in Oklahoma City postponed with players on court for warm-ups.
8:53 p.m. Pac-12 closes men’s basketball tournament to fans.
9:11 p.m. SEC closes men’s basketball tournament to fans.
9:27 p.m. Jazz All-Star center Rudy Gobert reportedly tests positive for coronavirus.
9:32 p.m. NBA announces season is suspended indefinitely but underway games are played to completion.
10:40 p.m. Nebraska men’s basketball coach Fred Hoiberg leaves Big Ten Tournament game and is taken to hospital, where he is later diagnosed with influenza.
10:44 p.m. Big East closes men’s basketball tournament to fans.
11:30 p.m. Western Athletic Conference suspends men’s basketball tournament quarterfinal due to “medical situation.”
Thursday
12:34 a.m. NBA G-League suspends season indefinitely.
9:42 a.m. Pro Football Hall of Fame cancels FanFest scheduled for March 21-22.
10:32 a.m. ATP suspends men’s professional tennis tour for six weeks.
10:49 a.m. Donovan Mitchell — Gobert’s Jazz teammate — tests positive for coronavirus. ESPN reports Gobert was “careless in the locker room, touching other players and their belongings.”
11:25 a.m. Redskins suspend travel for all coaches and scouts, and other NFL teams quickly follow suit, including Giants and Jets.
11:33 a.m. NFL informs all staff (with limited exceptions) to work from home until further notice.
11:42 a.m. MLS suspends season for 30 days.
11:49 a.m. Big Ten cancels men’s basketball tournament, with Rutgers and Michigan warming up for their noon game.
11:53 a.m. Formula 1 racing cancels Australian Grand Prix scheduled for Sunday.
11:54 a.m. U.S. Soccer cancels all matches in March and April for men’s and women’s senior teams.
11:59 a.m. NHL suspends season indefinitely.
Noon: Big East Tournament game between St. John’s and Creighton tips off at Madison Square Garden.
12:06 p.m. SEC cancels men’s basketball tournament.
12:15 p.m. ACC cancels men’s basketball tournament and later suspends all recruiting, practices and games for member schools.
12:17 p.m. Pac-12 cancels men’s basketball tournament and all other competitions.
12:25 p.m. NFL reportedly plans to move forward with collective bargaining agreement vote closing Saturday and free agency opening Monday.
12:40 p.m. Big 12 cancels men’s basketball tournament.
12:43 p.m. PGA announces all events across all Tours are closed to fans beginning Friday at The Players Championship through April 5 at the Valero Texas Open.
1:09 p.m. Big East cancels St. John’s-Creighton game at halftime and calls off rest of tournament.
1:33 p.m. NASCAR announces upcoming races in Atlanta and Miami will be held but closed to fans.
1:41 p.m. MLB cancels the rest of spring training, advises (but not requires) players to stay near team spring facilities and medical staff, and delays Opening Day by at least two weeks.
1:45 p.m. Eagles announce team headquarters and stadium will be closed Friday.
1:45 p.m. Duke University suspends all athletics activity indefinitely, the first school to withdraw from the NCAA men’s basketball tournament if held as scheduled.
1:54 p.m. Kansas University, the likely No. 1 overall seed in the men’s basketball tournament, cancels all athletic travel and suspends home and away games.
2:31 p.m. NFL cancels annual meeting for owners, general managers, coaches and media scheduled for March 29-April 1 in Palm Beach, Fla.
3:51 p.m. Minor League Baseball delays the start of its season indefinitely.
4:16 p.m. NCAA cancels all remaining winter and spring championships, including men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.
7:16 p.m. XFL cancels remainder of inaugural relaunch season, but says players will be paid their base pay and benefits.
9:59 p.m. PGA calls off Players Championship after first round and cancels events through April 5.
Friday
7:00 a.m. Games in the English Premier League and all other top level English fixtures are suspended until April 3 at the earliest.
11:00 a.m. Augusta National Golf Club, “considering the latest information and expert analysis,” announces The Masters has been postponed.
11:10 a.m. Boston mayor Marty Walsh announces the Boston Marathon will be postponed from April 20 to Sept. 14, the first time in its 124-year history the race will be delayed.
11:52 a.m. NASCAR postpones its next two races in Atlanta and Miami. IndyCar cancels next four races.
12:57 p.m. CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein cited a source saying the NCAA has suspended recruiting for all sports both on and off campus until April 15th.