by Julia Pierrepont III
LOS ANGELES, March 23 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. sports industry has been devastated by the rapid spread of COVID-19 as mass postponements and cancellations of single events and entire seasons are being announced on a daily basis in the United States and globally.
Basketball fans around the world were stunned when the National Basketball Association (NBA) was amongst the first to suspend games "until further notice", after several NBA players have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Mike Bass, NBA spokesperson, said in a statement last week that "public health authorities and team doctors have been concerned that, given NBA players' direct contact with each other and close interactions with the general public, in addition to their frequent travel, they could accelerate the spread of the virus."
NBA players who have already tested positive for the coronavirus include Brooklyn Nets' MVP star forward, Kevin Durant; Boston Celtics point guard, Marcus Smart; and Utah Jazz's center, Rudy Gobert; and their shooting guard, Donovan Mitchell, who won the NBA's All Rookie Team's Slam Dunk Contest; plus Detroit Pistons power forward, Christian Wood.
Durant, one of the highest-earning basketball players in the world, is an NBA all-star with two NBA Most Valuable Player Awards, two NBA Championships, two Finals MVP awards, NBA Rookie of the Year Award and two Olympic Gold Medals.
The NBA has announced additional positive test results, including two players from the LA Lakers, one from the Denver Nuggets, three from the Philadelphia 76ers, and three others from the Brooklyn Nets.
"Hopefully, by these players choosing to make their test results public, they have drawn attention to the critical need for young people to follow CDC recommendations in order to protect others, particularly those with underlying health conditions and the elderly," said Bass, the NBA spokesman.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will reassess the situation in mid-April, but no one seriously expects the viral threat to pass that quickly.
In College Basketball, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has cancelled the Men's and Women's Division 1 tournaments and all winter season championship events.
In pro-Golf last week, the U.S. Augusta National Golf Club announced they were postponing The Masters tournament, one of the four major championship tournaments in the world of professional golf, which had been scheduled for the second weekend in April.
PGA Tour Latinoamerica player Victor Lange tested positive for coronavirus last week and entered quarantine in South Africa and concerns were raised by professional golfers and health authorities, resulting in the PGA's postponement of all golfing until after May.
"Throughout our evaluation process, we have been committed to following the guidance of public health authorities and given the coronavirus shelter-in-place order in effect in San Francisco, postponement is the best decision for all involved," insisted CEO of PGA of America, Seth Waugh in a statement. "This is a reflection of a thoughtful process."
These postponements include: the PGA's 2020 Players Championship from March 12-15 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, USA - but not until after Round 1 had concluded; The PGA Championship, previously scheduled for May 14-17 at San Francisco's Harding Park; the RBC Heritage, the Wells Fargo Championship, the Zurich Classic, and AT&T's Byron Nelson tournament.
The fates of the other two Big Four Tournaments - the US Open, held in the United States the third weekend in June and the Open Championship, held in Britain the third Friday in July, are still up in the air. As of this date, neither has been rescheduled.
On March 16, the Major League Baseball's Commissioner, Rob Manfred announced that the MLB is shutting down most spring training facilities and postponing the start of their 2020 Season until at least mid-May, a date certain to be pushed even later.
On an up-note, all 30 MLB teams agreed to chip in on a 30-million-U.S.-dollar kitty to help cover the lost income of ballpark employees. Players in Major and Minor leagues will also be paid for at least part of the shutdown.
The National Football League (NFL) announced it had "no plans to move the start of the league year," but canceled plans to hold their annual draft picks in person in Las Vegas. They also canceled their annual meeting that had been scheduled in West Palm Beach, Florida for the end of March.
The National Hockey League (NHL) also suspended its 2019-2020 Season, with Commissioner Gary Bettman pledging that the season will resume "as soon as it is appropriate and prudent."
In soccer, Major League Soccer (MLS) opted to halt play and will reassess after a month.
