Spring fixtures join list of postponements
Two more grand sports institutions of springtime — maybe the only two left — fell victim to the global outbreak of the coronavirus on Friday as the Boston Marathon and The Masters were postponed.
This outbreak did what the Great Depression and World War II could not, forcing a postponement of the Boston Marathon for the first time in the race’s 124-year history.
The start of the event has been pushed five months from April 20 to Sept. 14. Between the 31,000 registered runners and 1 million expected spectators lining the 26.2-mile route, continuing on with the plan was deemed not feasible in the interest of public health.
“The B.A.A.’s mission of promoting health through sports, especially running, has guided our organization for more than a century,” Boston Athletic Club CEO Tom Grilk said. “In collaboration with our many partners, we look forward to welcoming the world to Boston in September in celebration of the 124th Boston Marathon.”
Meanwhile, The Masters, America’s most recognizable golf tournament, also is moving from its normal spring calendar slot.
Augusta National Golf Club announced The Masters has been postponed from April 9-12 to an unknown date. According to ESPN, The Masters has never been played outside of March or April.
“Ultimately, the health
and well-being of everyone associated with these events and the citizens of the Augusta community led us to this decision,” Augusta National wrote in a release. “We hope this postponement puts us in the best position to safely host the Masters Tournament and our amateur events at some later date.”
Other coronavirus-related developments in the sporting world on Friday included:
• Major League Baseball officially shuttered its spring training operations late Friday afternoon, saying all team camps are suspended immediately.
A release from MLB said players can choose from three options: Stay in their spring training city, go to their team’s home city or head to their own personal homes. Since the league announced its postponement of spring games and opening day Thursday, it had been unclear what players and coaches would do.
Given how little is known about the outbreak more broadly, the league’s plans for any potential restart to its training or regular season remain totally fluid.
• Little League recommended all local branches’ baseball and softball activities be suspended until April 6, saying that it is in the best interest of volunteers and player families to avoid gathering.
The organization, which says it operates over 6,500 programs in more than 84 countries, asked that teams with ongoing seasons pause them, but acknowledged that some local leagues may try to press on. For those leagues, Little League said officials should heed the advice of local public health departments.
As for the Little League World Series set for August in Williamsport, Pennsylvania,
that is still up in the air:
• NBA great and longtime commentator Charles Barkley was not on the “Inside The NBA” broadcast Thursday night and revealed that he is self-quarantining for 48 hours because he has not felt well since a recent trip to New York.
Barkley said he has been tested for COVID-19 and has not yet received the results. “This thing is so scary,” Barkley said.
• America’s top stock car racing league has chosen to postpone its next two races, given the public health risk to fans.
Atlanta Motor Speedway, which was set to be the venue for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 this Sunday, has a capacity of up to 125,000 fans. NASCAR had planned to hold that race without fans, but decided Friday to postpone that and next weekend’s Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
“We believe this decision is in the best interest of the safety and well-being of our fans, competitors, officials and everyone associated with our sport,” NASCAR said in a release.
• The Raiders made their first official statement Friday regarding how they would proceed during the COVID-19 pandemic and they’ll be temporarily vacating the premises at their practice facility in Alameda sooner than expected.
Employees have been encouarged to work from home, and all business-related travel has been discontinued.
The travel restrictions complicate things for the Raiders because they are in the process of moving their base of operations to their new practice facility in Henderson, Nevada, as well as Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Judging from a memo sent by the NFL to all 32 teams, the business of the NFL for the time being will
be done by telecomminications.
The league mandated draft eligible players were prohited from meeting with teams at the club facility or at an off-site location or on the road.
Clubs are allowed no more than three telephone or video conference interviews with a player per week, and none can exceed an hour in duration.
• The NCAA paused all in-person recruiting Friday morning in an effort to decrease travel and slow the spread of COVID-19. The ban on official and unofficial campus visits will last until April 15.
In a ray of sunshine for some heartbroken athletes, the NCAA also announced it would provide “eligibility relief” for all Division I spring sport participants, one day after canceling all spring sports activities. That will likely come in the form of an extra year of eligibility. So far it does not apply beyond D-I or to any winter sports participants who had partial seasons or championships canceled.
• The country’s longestrunning trail running race, the Dipsea Race from downtown Mill Valley to Stinson Beach scheduled for June 14, has been canceled.
• Stanford’s pro day workout for the Cardinal’s potential NFL draft picks is postponed. It had been set for March 19
• Monster truck event Monster Jam scheduled for April 4 at Levi’s Stadium has been postponed, along with all other events at Levi’s through April 20. Organizers are working to reschedule and plan to honor all tickets purchased when the event does take place.
• The Premier League has joined Italy’s Serie A, Spain’s La Liga and France’s Ligue 1 in suspending its season. European organizer UEFA has also halted the continent’s Champions and Europa leagues, which were in the latter stages of their tournaments.