Coronavirus impact: How the COVID-19 shut down the sports world in just 43 hours

Friday, March 13, 2020
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- As the coronavirus outbreak continues to grow around the world the cancellations and closures also continue to mount. One of the most shocking developments was the complete shut down of the American sports world. It was shocking not only in its scope but for the speed in which it developed. In less than 27 hours, the NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, and the NCAA announced the suspension of weeks of games, entire seasons, opening days and March Madness. What this means for the NBA Playoffs and the Stanley Cup Playoffs still remains to be seen.

Here's a minute-by-minute breakdown at how it all happened:

MARCH 13 - Friday



8:30 am

NASCAR postpones season for 2 weeks


NASCAR officials announced Friday that they have decided to postpone the season for two weeks due to coronavirus concerns. Race events at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend and Homestead-Miami Speedway next weekend have been affected by this action.


7:30 am

Boston Marathon postponed until September


The 2020 Boston Marathon, which was initially scheduled for April 20, has been postponed until Sept. 14, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh announced Friday.

7 am

Augusta National announces The Masters will be postponed


The Masters, golf's first major tournament of the year, has been postponed due to fears of the coronavirus. The Masters was scheduled to be played April 9-12 and becomes the fifth straight tournament on the PGA Tour schedule to be put off due to the global pandemic.


MARCH 11 - Wednesday



11:10 am

San Francisco - Golden State Warriors announce they will play game in empty arena


The move came after San Francisco officials announced a formal ban on events of over 1,000 people. Rumors had swirled about this possibility after Santa Clara County officials announced a similar ban on Monday. That put the future of the San Jose Sharks and San Jose Earthquakes games in limbo. By March 11, neither team had announced a formal plan about what would be done with their games. Chase Center also announced the postponement of several high profile concerts, including Post Malone. At the time, it was the biggest sporting news in the country.



5:25 pm

Alameda County - San Francisco Giants & Oakland A's preseason exhibition games impacted


Hours after San Francisco's ban was announced, Alameda county also banned events of over 1,000 people. This put the 'Battle of the Bay' preseason exhibition games at Oakland Coliseum and San Francisco's Oracle Park in jeopardy. The teams released statements saying they were working with Major League Baseball to find 'alternative plans' but did not elaborate on what those were. There were reports that the games could be played in Arizona at spring training venues instead. Questions began to arise about whether the A's home opener on March 26 would be impacted, but MLB did not provide a comment.

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5:39 pm

Oklahoma City - Jazz vs. Thunder game Postponed right before tipoff


Both teams were on the court when team officials suddenly huddled with the referees and announced to a packed arena that the game was being postponed. Players and fans were perplexed and searching for answers.



6:27 pm

Oklahoma City - Jazz All-Star Rudy Gobert tests positive for Covid-19





6:31 pm

New York City


The NBA announces the season is suspended.

11:54 pm

San Francisco



After taking in the frenetic pace, Warriors star Stephen Curry weighs in and asks everyone to stay safe out there. We take a breath and hope the worst has already come.


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MARCH 12 - Thursday



7:04 am

Salt Lake City


Jazz star Donovan Mitchell also tested positive for Covid-19.

8:31 am

MLS suspends season.


11:19 am

NHL Suspended - Sharks travel home with an eerie feeling.


12:09 pm

MLB suspends Spring Training and pushes back regular season AT LEAST two weeks.
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1:31 pm









Bye, bye March Madness. NCAA cancels all remaining Winter and Spring Championships.



And now as we collect ourselves, we look towards the way the sports world will band together to protect their own.

Mark Cuban and Kevin Love announce plans to begin raising money for hourly arena workers that will lose their wages as a result of the games being postponed or cancelled.



This all has developed so rapidly, that with pauses in sports scheduling ranging from two weeks to 30 days, uncertainty remains as to where exactly we will be when the leagues attempt to come back. The NBA Finals and Stanley Cup, as well as the MLB regular season are in limbo.
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