Coronavirus' Impact on Basketball

Impacts of Coronavirus in the NBA:

The National Basketball association has talked about implementing some antivirus legislation to protect its players from the widespread Coronavirus. Rumors have sparked of temporarily banning media from entering the locker rooms as well as not allowing fans in the arena. LeBron James has spoken out on this, stating that he would not play in an empty arena, although, I do not buy this, as I could not see a completely healthy LeBron sit on the sideline and watch his team lose. We have seen recreational sports stop the tradition of handshaking as well as other traditions, we may see some NBA traditions such as the jersey swap stop momentarily.

(LeBron James, who made a statement on the Coronavirus’ impact on the NBA.)

Impacts of Coronavirus on the NCAA:

With March Madness right around the corner, many people are worried about how the Coronavirus will impact the safety of the tournament. One solution that has been discussed has been to limit the number of venues where the games take place, setting them in cities where the virus has not yet reached. This could be a good alternative, but with the amount of traveling the players and fans will endure throughout the tournament, the virus still could find its way to one of these cities. For the SEC tournament, which begins on Wednesday, there was debate about whether or not fans would be allowed to watch the games. The tournament takes place in Nashville, where more than one case of Coronavirus has been diagnosed. The committee concluded to take no further action, and have decided to allow fans, as of 4:00 PM Monday. Shortly after this verdict was decided, Vanderbilt University, where the tournament is hosted, made a statement about cancelling all classes for the remainder of the week due to the virus. This could lead to a change of opinion in regards to the safety of the SEC tournament, and we should expect another announcement soon regarding the matter. I think that it would be very unfortunate to see an NCAA tournament with no fans present at the games; the fans are really what brings all the excitement and hype to play. But, I think it is equally important to keep the players, students, and fans healthy during this pandemic. I’m sure the NCAA will rightly decide what to do in this tough situation.

(Vanderbilt University, source: https://www.vanderbilt.edu/work-at-vanderbilt/)

Covid-19 and the effect on sports betting:

The sports books are watching CDC reports like they watch lineups and roster changes. Coronavirus is changing sports; the lack of fans in the stands could change the way players play and the number of points scored. Ahead of March Madness, one of the biggest sports betting events on the US calendar, the NCAA has established a Covid-19 advisory panel of leading medical, public health and epidemiology experts and NCAA member schools to guide its response to the outbreak of the Coronavirus. The NCAA’s premier basketball competition is scheduled to get underway later this month, but there has already been a request from a college-player-advocacy group suggesting that March Madness fixtures should be contested behind closed doors. Italy for example has already placed a ban on all sporting competition until April.