The first cancellations of a major sporting event in the United States, due to the coronavirus are here, and it’s Chicago State men’s basketball that have forged their place in history. Chicago State, a school whose athletic programs face issues of long term financial availability, play in the Western Athletic Conference for some bizarre reason.
CSU announced Wednesday that their men’s team will not travel to Seattle or Utah Valley for WAC conference games on Thursday and Saturday. The university also said, via a statement that the women’s team will not host Seattle or Utah Valley at their SouthSide campus facility on the same days.
“Chicago State athletics views our decision as a reaffirmation of our commitment to the well-being, health and safety of our student athletes,” Chicago State athletic director Elliott Charles said in the statement.
As of this writing, cases of coronavirus have topped 100 in the United States, and 90,000 worldwide. Nine Americans have died from COVID19, all in Washington state, most of which were connected to a Seattle nursing home. Forfeiting these games doesn’t really mean much to Chicago State basketball, as both teams have abysmal records and no hopes of postseason play.
Chicago State Cougars men’s basketball team is 4-25 this season, 0-14 in league play. The women’s team is 1-13 in WAC play, 1-26 in 2019-20.
Worldwide, more than 3,000 people have perished due to the virus, which has a mortality rate that’s estimated to be between 2-3%
Elsewhere, German giant football club Borussia Dortmund cancelled their summer preseason trip to Asia due to coronavirus fears.
“We know that our huge and loyal fan base has been looking forward to reuniting with our team. Making this decision was anything but easy for us, but at the moment we see no alternative,” said BVB chief executive officer Hans-Joachim Watzke in a statement.
“Our fans and friends in Asia can be assured our thoughts are with them all the more in these difficult times. We are already looking forward to hopefully being able to enjoy the local people’s hospitality and enthusiasm for BVB as soon as possible.”
BVB managing director Carsten Cramer added:
“We stand firmly by the side of those affected, their families and all those who are fighting tirelessly against the virus. Our solidarity with Asia is unbroken!”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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