What do you bet that Arthur Blank, the billionaire owner of Mercedes-Benz Stadium where the Final Four was to be played, gets reimbursed by taxpayers for lost revenue? What are the odds that the commoners who would have worked in food service, security, etc., get a penny of compensation?
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Play the games- we DON’T need fans there. The kids want it and we could watch it ! The young healthy players are least are least likely as a group to suffer major morbidity from the virus
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It’s not whether young people die from the virus, it’s about whether large crowds (which includes the collected teams at a tournament) accelerate the spread of the virus. If we can slow the spread the challenge to our hospitals is reduced and the overall effect on the entire population is reduced.
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@Jasfleet
What large crowds? Say 20 from each school team, the refs, media/tech's. That's about 100.
I'm working from home in Seattle, and with no Tournament what will play in the background, Rachmaninov?!
Absolutely the right thing to do.
Giving Spring sport athletes a year of eligibility back would also be the right thing to do as well.
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I expect the current administration to announce bailouts for ESPN and the NBA any moment now. "But how will we pay for it?" /s
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What does ESPN have left to cover? Without any live content, ESPN is rapidly becoming irrelevant.
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March office productivity expected to increase 30%.
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Sure, it would be nice to have the distraction of March Madness in these awful times. I would just observe that cancellation is the best way to go--as many young teams and their coaches and staffs have to travel by air or bus to get to venues, running the risk of exposure, it ain't worth it as much as many of us love (or dislike) "March Madness". My heart goes out to workers who will lose income as a result, but maybe the NCAA can find a way to help all those folks.
To the student-athletes who will be disappointed--you are giving up something for all of us, which is the most any of us can do for our communities and country.
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I have loved March Madness, every edge-of-the-seat second of it, for my long lifetime. But I am very glad it is cancelled this year. It has long since ceased to be a sporting event and has become instead a huge Vegas gambling enterprise, a rush to buy bigger and better ads for the hot tv spots, and big money for everyone except the players. Gone are the days when college basketball was fun. Now it's big money and nothing more. So -- let's see what happens now.
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Wow, no March Madness. That should get the attention of all the young men who think they're invincible.
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The NCAA and TV networks will see to it that the NCAA Tournament will go on no matter what. Bet the farm on it. There's money to be made, and that's all that matters to the rapacious old men running big time collegiate athletics. Period.
Actually it’s been cancelled. So you are wrong.
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@mpound
I don't have a farm, but I'm happy to bet anything you'd like that the tournament doesn't happen. Name your wager.
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@mpound ... Yes, please do bet the farm on it. I'd like a piece of that action- on the other side tho.
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Why should these athletes risk their health for the profit of the NCAA and TV networks ? If I were a college athlete I would suddenly come down with flu like symptoms.
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This is a problem, not a tragedy.
For the people who work in these tournaments, however, it could be a tragedy--they will lose their jobs and they will have to try to explain that to their children.
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You would think minimizing the number of people involved with play and transmission of the game would be enough.The powers that Be are being prudent protecting health and heightening our awareness to this serious competitor.Making a decision of this magnitude comes with a lot of wise thought and pain.
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@Jerry Fitzsimmons This is panic, pure and simple, with each entity trying to outdo the next with "serious" decision-making. Apparently, these institutions think that individuals are no longer capable of assessing risk and making decisions. Where is the chorus about "freedom?"
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@MJUM sorry freedom only comes when biology cooperates.Good call by the NCAA
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@MJUM
It's a pandemic. Let's say a large cohort of people minimize the risk--out of ignorance or some misguided devotion to Trump--and make a decision that puts the health of others in jeopardy. They should be allowed to pose a risk to us all in the name of freedom? To watch basketball games? Really?!
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