How sports leagues are addressing coronavirus outbreak
LOS ANGELES — Sports leagues and federations across the world are addressing the spread of the coronavirus.
While most North American sports leagues, including Major League Baseball, the NBA, the NFL and the NHL are monitoring the situation, leagues in other parts of the world are taking action by canceling events and playing in empty stadiums.
Los Angeles County officials have discussed the possibility of banning spectators from attending sporting events in Southern California in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Here is a sport-by-sport look at what leagues and federations are doing to address the COVID-19 outbreak:
United States
• NBA: In a memo sent to teams Sunday, the league and the NBA Players’ Association stated they are “closely monitoring the coronavirus situation” and are in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The memo also recommended that players avoid giving high-fives when interacting with fans and avoid borrowing pens and markers from fans requesting autographs. No plans have been made to cancel games or bar fans from attending. In a statement, Staples Center encouraged fans who are planning to attend events at the arena to “engage in safe hygiene practices” and “stay home if they feel unwell.”
• MLB: The league has established an internal task force to deal with issues related to coronavirus in the coming months, according to a memo sent to highranking baseball officials Tuesday obtained by ESPN. Baseball has no plans to cancel or ban fans from attending games. The memo advises players not to shake hands with fans and not use pens and markers from fans to sign autographs. It also asks teams to make sure all players have received the 2019-20 flu vaccine and other necessary vaccinations.
• NFL: NFL Media reported Tuesday that the league is “closely monitoring developments” related to coronavirus and that it is still planning to hold the NFL draft in Las Vegas on April 23-25. In addition, individual pro days for drafteligible players will begin as scheduled on Thursday. The NFL’s
annual meeting, which is attended by team owners, general managers and coaches, is still scheduled to be held March 29-April 1 in Palm Beach, Fla.
• NHL: Commissioner Gary Bettman said Wednesday that the league is monitoring the coronavirus outbreak but declined to say whether games could be altered, canceled or rescheduled. He also wouldn’t speculate on whether the league would consider playing in empty arenas or postponing the playoffs. All NHL employees have been barred from traveling outside North America for business purposes. Scouts based in Europe have to stay in Europe or be quarantined upon arriving in North America, Bettman said.
• NCAA: The college athletics sanctioning body says it is monitoring the outbreak but that it has no plans to make changes for the upcoming men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. “The NCAA is committed to conducting its championships and events in a safe and responsible manner,” Donald Remy, the NCAA’s chief operating officer, said in a statement Tuesday. “Today we are planning to conduct our championships as planned; however, we are evaluating the covid-19 situation daily and will make decisions accordingly.” Missouri-Kansas City and Chicago State announced they are canceling trips to Seattle for scheduled Western Athletic Conference men’s basketball games this week.
• MLS: The league has created a task force to monitor the coronavirus outbreak. Sports teams in Los Angeles County, including the Galaxy and LAFC, have been warned they may be asked to cancel games or play them in empty stadiums after the county declared a health emergency Wednesday to deal with the coronavirus. “This could be that games are played but there are no spectators,” L.A. County public health director Barbara Ferrer said. “This could be that there are limits to how people are going to gather ... But I want to reassure everyone we are not there today.”
• NASCAR: In a statement released Wednesday, NASCAR said its racing schedule and business operations remain unchanged as it monitors the outbreak. It said it has been in communication with federal, state and local health officials in addition to teams and tracks.
• IndyCar: The racing league’s sanctioning body said in a statement Wednesday that it is closely monitoring the situation but does not expect any changes to its season opener, which takes place in St. Petersburg, Fla., on March 15.
• PGA: The PGA Tour announced Wednesday that it has no plans to alter its schedule beyond changes that have already been made with the PGA Tour-Series China (delayed start to season). That could change, the league said, if the CDC and the World Health Organization make recommendations.
• L.A. Marathon: The Los Angeles Marathon will run as scheduled on March 8, race officials announced. Organizers of the marathon are offering a deferral option to runners traveling from impacted countries allowing them to delay their participation until next year.