PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Sports often serve as a diversion in times of crisis. This time, the sporting world is taking a back seat.
As the novel coronavirus continues to spread in the United States, sports leagues and the college sports world decided it was time to take a step back.
On Thursday, all college basketball conference tournaments were canceled after nearly all had originally elected to finish their tournaments without fans.
The move came after a stunning announcement from the NBA on Wednesday.
With two Utah Jazz players testing positive for the virus, the NBA announced a suspension to its season on Wednesday night. It resulted in a domino effect throughout the rest of the sports world.
On Thursday afternoon, the NHL announced the league would also suspend its season. Major League Soccer also suspended the start of its 2020 campaign.
MLB has announced that spring training games will be canceled as of 4 p.m. Thursday, and opening day will be delayed by at least two weeks.
The Phillies' spring training game against Tampa Bay was still being played Thursday afternoon.
The NCAA canceled all men's and women's Division I basketball tournaments as well.
There has been no decision made by the NFL regarding next month's draft in Las Vegas. The Eagles closed their offices on Thursday.