Citing Coronavirus, Ivy League Cancels Basketball Tournaments

Bryce Aiken, a senior guard at Harvard who has been injured most of the season, took to Twitter to express his outrage over the cancellation.

“Horrible, horrible, horrible decision and total disregard for the players and teams that have put their hearts into this season,” Aiken wrote. He added that the move was “wrong on so many levels” and that the Ivy League “should do its due diligence to find a better solution.”

In an interview after the conference’s announcement, Harris said the presidents considered an array of alternatives, like limiting capacity to allow for “social distancing” as Stanford has done at its sporting events; playing in front of essential personnel and with a limited number of team guests; and playing without spectators. The presidents also considered playing without any restrictions.

“The presidents wanted a proportionate response that would mitigate the spread of the virus,” Harris said. “They’re doing that on their own campus with other events, so how could we justify treating the basketball tournaments differently?”

In a statement on Tuesday, Columbia, also of the Ivy League, said its spring sports teams would continue to play, but attendance would be limited to essential staff: no parents, family, students, spirit groups or members of the general public. Spring sports will continue to travel, but athletes can choose not to.

Mark Emmert, the president of the N.C.A.A., appeared to distance the association from the Ivy League’s move and said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon that leagues “make their own decisions regarding regular season and conference tournament play.”

Noting that the public health authorities, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, had not recommended canceling sporting events, he added, “In the event circumstances change, we will make decisions accordingly.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/10/sports/ivy-league-basketball-tournament-coronavirus.html