In an unprecedented chain reaction to the impact of the novel coronavirus on American sporting life, today, the presidents of universities in some of the nation’s largest and most prestigious athletic conferences voted to suspend the remainder of their respective seasons, including a currently contested men’s college basketball tournament.
Following in the wake of yesterday’s decision by The Ivy League to cancel the remainder if it’s eight members’ sports schedules, today, the Pac-12—arguably the country’s most prestigious intercollegiate athletics conference—as well as the Big West, which primarily represents colleges in California, and the Metro Atlantic Athletics Conference (MAAC), a collection of Northeastern schools, all chose to terminate the remainder of their 2020 college campaigns.
[BREAKING: Ivy League To Cancel All Athletic Events Through Remainder Of Spring]
“The Pac-12 Conference has made the decision to cancel the remainder of the Pac-12 men’s basketball tournament and all Pac-12 sport competitions and Pac-12 championship events, effectively immediately, until further notice,” the league said in a statement posted on its website. “This decision has been made in consultation with our member universities in an effort to limit the spread of the virus and in the interest of the health and safety of our student-athletes, campus personnel, working and event personnel, and all those who attend Pac-12 events.”
This decision imperils one of the longest streaks of success in American intercollegiate competition; Stanford’s 44-year run of NCAA team titles, part of a record haul of 126 championships.
“The Big West Conference announced today that it is indefinitely suspending all spring conference and non-conference competition, effective immediately,” said a statement on the conference’s website. “The main priority of the Big West Conference continues to be the health, safety and wellness of our student-athletes, coaches, administrators, fans and media as we continue to monitor all developing and relevant information on the COVID-19 virus.”
“In response to the immediate and ever-growing concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and its Council of Presidents have unanimously decided to cancel the remainder of its current conference tournament currently being held in Atlantic City, New Jersey,” the MAAC said via their website.
“In addition, based upon the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference membership’s ongoing commitment to the health and safety of our student athletes and athletic department representatives and as a result of the growing national concern of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Council of Presidents has also unanimously voted to cancel all spring sports competitions, practices (including captain’s practices), effective tomorrow, March 13 and other athletic related activities for the remainder of the 2020 Spring semester.”
This adds to the growing list of sports cancellations world-wide as a result of the novel coronavirus that has thus far infected as more than 130,000 people in 125 countries, resulting in almost 5,000 fatalities.
A list of schools affected by these decisions include:
The Pac-12: Arizona, Arizona State, Cal-Berkeley, UCLA, Colorado, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, USC, Utah, Washington and Washington State.
The Big West: Cal Polytechnic State, Cal State Fullerton, California State, Northridge, Hawai’i, Cal State Long Beach, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara and UC San Diego.
The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference: Canisius, Fairfield, Iona, Manhattan, Marist, Monmouth, Niagara, Quinnipiac, Rider, St. Peter’s and Siena.
Stanford won the 2019 NCAA title in men’s water polo, so the streak is intact.
… and also women’s volleyball and women’s soccer.