Covid-19 and the Sports Landscape: Timeline
Tuesday
8:21 a.m. The Ivy League becomes first conference to cancel men’s and women’s conference championships, declaring regular-season champions as NCAA Tournament automatic-berth recipients.
Wednesday
9:42 a.m. College Basketball Invitational canceled.
10:16 a.m. MLB reportedly considering alternate site for games.
11:10 a.m. Warriors announce Thursday game against the Nets will be played without fans in compliance with San Francisco government orders.
11:44 a.m. Ohio governor announces Tuesday’s NCAA Tournament First Four in Dayton will be closed to fans.
12 p.m. Ivy League cancels all practices and competitions through the remainder of the academic year.
1:15 p.m. NCAA panel advises against allowing fans into sporting events.
1:30 p.m. NCAA announces men’s basketball tournament will be held as scheduled but closed to fans.
2:24 p.m. University of Michigan cancels spring football game. Ohio State follows suit.
3 p.m. Juventus soccer player Daniele Rugani becomes first known professional athlete to test positive for coronavirus.
3:38 p.m. Big Ten closes men’s basketball tournament and all spring sports competition to fans.
4:58 p.m. ACC closes men’s basketball tournament to fans.
5:40 p.m. Jazz-Thunder NBA game in Oklahoma City postponed with players on court for warm-ups.
5:53 p.m. Pac-12 closes men’s basketball tournament to fans.
6:11 p.m. SEC closes men’s basketball tournament to fans.
6:27 p.m. Jazz All-Star center Rudy Gobert tests positive for coronavirus.
6:32 p.m. NBA announces season is suspended, but underway games are played to completion.
7:40 p.m. Nebraska men’s basketball coach Fred Hoiberg leaves Big-10 tournament game and is taken to hospital, where he is later diagnosed with influenza.
7:44 p.m. Big East closes men’s basketball tournament to fans.
8:30 p.m. Western Athletic Conference suspends men’s basketball tournament quarterfinal due to “medical situation.”
Thursday
12:34 a.m. NBA G-League suspends season indefinitely.
6:42 a.m. Pro Football Hall of Fame cancels FanFest scheduled for March 21-22.
7:32 a.m. ATP suspends men’s professional tennis tour for six weeks.
7:49 a.m. Donovan Mitchell — Gobert’s Jazz teammate — tests positive for coronavirus. ESPN reports Gobert was “careless in the locker room, touching other players and their belongings.”
8:25 a.m. Redskins suspend travel for all coaches and scouts, and other NFL teams quickly follow suit.
8:33 a.m. NFL informs all staff (with limited exceptions) to work from home until further notice.
8:42 a.m. MLS suspends season for 30 days.
8:49 a.m. Big Ten cancels men’s basketball tournament with Rutgers and Michigan warming up for their noon game.
8:53 a.m. Formula 1 racing cancels Australian Grand Prix scheduled for Sunday.
8:54 a.m. U.S. Soccer cancels all matches in March and April for men’s and women’s senior teams.
8:59 a.m. NHL suspends season indefinitely.
9:00 a.m. Big East Tournament game between St. John’s and Creighton tips off at Madison Square Garden.
9:06 a.m. SEC cancels men’s basketball tournament.
9:15 a.m. ACC cancels men’s basketball tournament and later suspends all recruiting, practices and games for member schools.
9:17 a.m. Pac-12 cancels men’s basketball tournament and all other competitions.
9:25 a.m. NFL reportedly plans to move forward with collective bargaining agreement vote closing Saturday and free agency opening Monday.
9:40 a.m. Big 12 cancels men’s basketball tournament.
9:43 a.m. PGA announces all events across all Tours are closed to fans beginning Friday at the Players Championship through April 5 at the Valero Texas Open.
10:09 a.m. Big East cancels St Johns/Creighton game at halftime and calls off rest of tournament.
10:33 a.m. NASCAR announces upcoming races in Atlanta and Miami will be held but closed to fans.
10:41 a.m. MLB cancels the rest of Spring Training, advises players to stay near team spring facilities and medical staff, and delays Opening Day by at least two weeks.
10:45 a.m. Eagles announce team headquarters and stadium will be closed Friday.
10:45 a.m. Duke University suspends all athletics indefinitely, the first school to withdraw from the NCAA men’s basketball tournament if held as scheduled.
10:54 a.m. Kansas University, the likely No. 1 overall seed in the men’s basketball tournament, cancels all athletic travel and suspends home and away games.
11:31 a.m. NFL cancels annual meeting for owners, general managers, coaches and media scheduled for March 29-April 1 in Palm Beach, Fla.
12:51 p.m. Minor League Baseball delays the start of its season indefinitely.
1:16 p.m. NCAA cancels all remaining winter and spring championships, including the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.
4:16 p.m. XFL cancels the remainder of its relaunch season but says players will be paid their base pay and benefits.
6:59 p.m. PGA calls off the Players Championship after the first round and cancels events through April 5.
Friday
4:00 a.m. Games in the English Premier League and all other top level English fixtures are suspended until April 3 at the earlies.
8:00 a.m. Augusta National Golf Club, “considering the latest information and expert analysis,” announces the Masters has been postponed
8:10 a.m. Boston mayor Marty Walsh announcesthe Boston Marathon will be postponed from April 20 to September 14; the first time in its 124-year history the race will be delayed.
8:52 a.m. NASCAR postpones its next two races in Atlanta and Miami. IndyCar cancels next four races.
5:05 p.m. Detroit Piston Christian Woods test positive for Covid-19
9:57 p.m. CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein cited a source saying the NCAA has suspended recruiting for all sports both on and off campus until April 15th.
Sunday
5:00 p.m. CDC announces new coronavirus guidelines, including avoiding gathering in groups of 10 or more and avoiding unnecessary travel, a major hinderance to the return of sports
Monday
11:19 a.m. MLB has pushed back opening to mid-May at the earliest, citing CDC guidelines.
4:08 p.m. WWE moves Wrestlemania 36 out of Tampa, will film without fans at Orlando studios.
Tuesday
12:56 p.m. The Brooklyn Nets announce that four players have tested positive for the coronavirus, with one exhibiting symptoms.
2:17 p.m. The PGA Championship becomes the second golf major postponed.
2:24 p.m. Nets superstar Kevin Durant announces he is one of the four Brooklyn players to test positive for the coronavirus.
2:37 p.m. MLB pledges $30 million to help ballpark workers during delay of season.