Big Ten to Suspend Team Activities, Spring Games Still Canceled

On Friday, the Big Ten announced that all organized team activities have been suspended until April 6 when they will then be re-evaluated.

There is no change, however, to what the conference announced Thursday regarding the cancelation of conference and non-conference competition until the end of the year.

"The Big Ten has previously announced that in addition to canceling the Men's Basketball Tournament it will be canceling all conference and non-conference competitions through the end of the academic year, including spring sports that compete beyond the academic year, and participation in all NCAA tournaments and competitions," the Big Ten said in a statement. "The Conference also has announced a moratorium on all on- and off-campus recruiting activities for the foreseeable future.

"The Big Ten will use this time to work with the appropriate medical experts and institutional leadership to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic."

The Big Ten canceled the men's basketball tournament on Thursday when other conferences around the country took the same measure. Later that afternoon, the NCAA canceled March Madness after stating the day before it would hold the tournament without fans.

In addition to canceling the NCAA tournament, the league also said it would cancel all winter and spring championships. The decision sparked outrage among players, coaches and athletic directors, especially for NCAA championship-bound seniors who saw their final seasons come to a sudden end. Allison Wahrman, a member of Iowa's track and field team, was so upset that she created a petition on Change.org asking the NCAA to grant another year of eligibility to seniors.

College athletics are among the many sports affected around by the globe by the coronavirus. In the U.S., the NBA, NHL and MLS have suspended their seasons until further notice. MLB delayed the start of its season by two weeks, which was set to open on March 26.

The World Health Organization declared a pandemic on Wednesday, and there are more than 135,400 confirmed cases of the virus globally across at least 111 countries.