NCAA bans fans from tourney to battle coronavirus spread
The Madness will be very quiet this March.
The NCAA officially announced on Wednesday that the NCAA Tournament would be played without fans in arenas due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. The announcement came hours before the NBA decided to suspend its season, so there is a possibility the NCAA could follow suit and delay or call off the tournament altogether.
All first round matchups of the tournament will play in their previously designated venues, but regional round matchups, the Final Four and the Championship game could be moved to smaller venues in the cities already scheduled, according to the Associated Press.
The Final Four and Championship games were scheduled to be played at Mercedes
Benz Arena.
In 2019, the NCAA made $933 million in revenue (media rights fees, ticket sales, corporate sponsorships, and television ads) from the tournament.
“I have made the decision to conduct our upcoming championship events, including the Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments, with only essential staff and limited family attendance,” NCAA president Mark Emmert said in a statement. “While I understand how disappointing this is for all fans of our sports, my decision is based on the current understanding of how COVID-19 is progressing in the United States.
The pinnacle of the college basketball season, the NCAA Tournament is a month-long festival of pep bands and face-painting and a cash cow that, along with football, helps fund non-revenue sports at schools throughout the country. The decision to play in fanless arenas will cost those programs millions in ticket sales but preserve billions in TV rights fees.
The 68-team men's tournament is scheduled to begin Tuesday in Dayton, Ohio, where Gov. Mike DeWine has announced plans to ban “mass gatherings” to combat the spread of COVID-19, which was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization on Wednesday. First- and second-round games are scheduled for Cleveland on March 20-22.
The move comes amid growing concern of the coronavirus around the country, which has caused many conferences and schools to cancel classes, reschedule games, and/or quell crowds by barring all non-essential staff from sporting events.
The Ivy League cancelled its conference basketball tournament on Tuesday, then decided on Wednesday to cancel all its spring season sports, the largest Division I NCAA conference to do so thus far. The College Basketball Invitational, a 16-team tournament comprised of teams not invited to March Madness or the NIT and is not controlled by the NCAA, was cancelled on Wednesday, as well.
“This decision is in the best interest of public health, including that of coaches, administrators, fans and most importantly, our student-athletes,” the statement continued. “We recognize the opportunity to compete in an NCAA national championship is an experience of a lifetime for the students and their families. Today, we will move forward and conduct championships consistent with the current information and will continue to monitor and make adjustments as needed.”
Other conference tournaments around the country have played on without interruption. The ACC women's tournament began Tuesday and continued Wednesday without no changes. After the NCAA announced its decision regarding crowd size at March Madness late Wednesday afternoon, the conference said its Wednesday 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. men's first round games would “proceed as planned,” but did not say what the fate of the rest of the tournament would be.
“We are aware of the announcement by the @NCAA and will evaluate the remainder of the tournament. More information will be forthcoming,” the conference said on its Twitter page.
On Tuesday, the Big East tournament had no plans to cancel, reschedule or change any part of its men's tournament. The Big East tournament started with two matchups Wednesday night — St. John's vs. Georgetown and Xavier vs. DePaul — at Madison Square Garden.