North Texas Daily

Earlier this month, we witnessed history. March 11, 2020 will be talked about in textbooks for years to come. Everything kicked off when Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert “preliminary tested positive” for COVID-19, a novel case of Coronavirus.

Because of this, the NBA suspended operations, becoming the first of several professional sporting leagues to alter their respective schedules. Let’s look at the timeline so far.

March 11
– The NCAA closes conference tournaments and March Madness to spectators
– All Overwatch League events are canceled for the months of March and April
– The XFL bans spectators from the game between Seattle Dragons and Los Angeles Wildcats
– The San Jose Sharks close all March home games from fans

March 12
– Major League Baseball delays Opening Day and cancels spring training matchups
– Power 5 conferences suspend conference tournaments for basketball
– NCAA cancels March Madness
– The XFL cancels its first season with the promise it will return for Year 2
– PGA announces that all Tour events will be played without fans
– The NHL suspends the 2019-20 season indefinitely
– UNT cancels in-person classes for the week of March 16-20 and announces a transition to online-only for the remainder of the spring semester
– Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell announces that he tested positive for COVID-19 while asymptomatic

March 13
– All professional European soccer leagues suspended until April 3
– The 2020 College World Series is suspended
– NCAA Division I Council Coordination Committee announces that eligibility relief may be available to spring athletes

March 16
– The NFL cancels all public events surrounding the 2020 Draft in April
– Conference USA cancels all spring sport competitions

March 17
– The MLB pushes back Opening Day until mid-May at the earliest
– The Grand National gets canceled and Kentucky Derby gets postponed until September 5
– The UFC cancels its next three events, taking place in late March and early April
– The International Olympic Committee announces that the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games are still on pace to take place
– Nascar suspends all races through May 3
– Kevin Durant and three other Brooklyn Nets players test positive for COVID-19
– 21-year-old Spanish youth soccer coach dies from coronavirus
– MLB teams gather $30 million to donate to ballpark workers

March 19
– Three members within the Philadelphia 76ers organization tested positive
– Sean Payton announces that he is the first person within the NFL to test positive

This probably isn’t the end. As President Donald Trump announced that the peak of the virus could come in July or August, more pushbacks and cancellations will continue to be announced, including possible impacts on the upcoming NFL season, the largest sports industry in the United States.

Updates will be made as more unfolds. Visit the North Texas Daily’s coronavirus page for other coverage.