NCAA Puts Policy in Place for March Madness due to Coronavirus, COVID-19

The NCAA has officially announced that only personnel essential to the games and limited family members will be able to attend NCAA Tournament games.

The COVID-19 Virus has reached pandemic levels according to the World Health Organization. Economic impacts are being felt as the Dow Jones Industrial dropped over 1400 points and 5.8 percent today. Many factories around the world are shut down and not able to ship certain products. Now, the Coronavirus is impacting the sports world.

At first, it was NBA teams floating the idea of playing games without fans. This was especially the case in hot zones such as San Francisco, which is the area the Golden State Warriors play in. Now, the first major announcement has been made. March Madness, one of the largest fan drawing and revenue-generating events of the year for the NCAA will be played without fans.

President Mark Emmert released the following statement earlier today:

"The NCAA continues to assess the impact of COVID-19 in consultation with public health officials and our COVID-19 advisory panel. Based on their advice and my discussions with the NCAA Board of Governors, I have made the decision to conduct our upcoming championship events, including the Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments, with only essential staff and limited family attendance. While I understand how disappointing this is for all fans of our sports, my decision is based on the current understanding of how COVID-19 is progressing in the United States. This decision is in the best interest of public health, including that of coaches, administrators, fans and, most importantly, our student-athletes. We recognize the opportunity to compete in an NCAA national championship is an experience of a lifetime for the students and their families. Today, we will move forward and conduct championships consistent with the current information and will continue to monitor and make adjustments as needed." - Mark Emmert President of the NCAA

This is an unprecedented move, but at this point, the NCAA and government officials have determined this is the best course of action to help mitigate the pandemic in the United States.

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