The already-delayed professional sports seasons in North America could be on hiatus for significantly longer than first planned. New recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Sunday night seem to suggest that sports in this country could for all intents and purposes be gone until May, if not later.
That's twice as long as the 30-day shutdowns that the NBA, NHL and Major League Soccer decided to put into place last week. The league suspensions were in response to the global coronavirus pandemic that has already made a deep impact on the U.S. financial markets and has been blamed for at least 64 deaths in this country. Major League Baseball also was going with what essentially was a 30-day shutdown after canceling the rest of spring training and pushing back the start of regular season play for two weeks; Opening Day was to have been March 26.
In other virus-related news:
A New York Yankees minor league prospect has tested positive for the coronavirus. The Yankees didn't identify the player, who is the first known player affiliated with Major League Baseball to contract COVID-19. The team said the player had spent his entire time at the minor league complex in Tampa, Florida, and hadn't been over at the main stadium and facilities used by the major leaguers.
The Marlins became the first organization to completely close their complex, sending players home from Jupiter, Florida. The Rangers followed suit, closing down their camp in Arizona.
The New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority says all of the ski areas and venues that it manages have suspended operation. Closures include all Nordic and Alpine ski resorts including Mt. Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid, Belleayre Mountain Ski Resort in the Catskills, Gore Mountain in North Creek and Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, near Lake Placid. All Lake Placid Olympic sites will also be closing, including the Olympic Jumping Complex, Olympic Sports Complex, The Olympic Oval and the Olympic Center including its museum and retail shops.
NCAA vice president of men's basketball Dan Gavitt says brackets won't be created for the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments that were canceled due to coronavirus concerns. The men's NCAA Tournament field had been scheduled to be announced on Sunday. Gavitt says there's not an authentic way to produce tournament fields and brackets at this point without speculating. College basketball's showcase was canceled Thursday. That led to suggestions from coaches and athletic directors to release brackets for the event even though it won't happen this year.
The Texas racetrack that hosts the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix and other motor racing series announced it is closing indefinitely after a series of cancellations because of concerns about the coronavirus. The Circuit of the Americas -- in Austin -- was supposed to host the MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas on April 5 and the IndyCar Challenge on April 26. Both races have been canceled.
Major League Soccer has extended the moratorium on team training through Friday. MLS announced a 30-day suspension of match play on Thursday because of the coronavirus.
The Seattle Sounders say a member of the team's support staff is in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19. The MLS team says the individual did not have access to the general public and "only had access to the team in controlled areas during the game." The team said no players or coaches have reported having any symptoms related to the coronavirus.
Professional soccer is shutting down in Mexico following Sunday's matches, which were already being played with no fans present as a precaution due to the new coronavirus. The measure applies to the men's top flight and second division as well as the fledgling women's league. Soccer officials said in a statement that the suspension would remain in effect until it's determined that it's safe to restart play in coordination with Mexico's Health Department.
Brazil's soccer confederation has suspended all competitions under its control due to the coronavirus outbreak. The tournaments affected include the men's Brazilian Cup, the top two tiers of the women's Brazilian championship, and junior tournaments. The men's top-tier Brazilian championship is scheduled to begin in April. The decision does not affect state championships currently being played. Some matches were held without any fans this weekend in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. São Paulo, Rio and other state soccer bodies are set to decide Monday on their course of action.
NFL
The NFL will have labor peace through at least the 2030 season. Players have approved a new labor agreement with the league that features a 17-game regular season, higher salaries, increased roster sizes and larger pensions for current and former players. The package was accepted by the 32 team owners last month and was initially rejected by the union's executive board by a 6-5 vote. Player representatives voted 17-14 in favor, with one abstention. Union members had the final say and approved it by a 1,109-959 margin. The 17-game schedule won't happen before the 2021 season. The mechanics for an uneven number of games will be worked out in the interim, with the possibility of the extra game being played on neutral sites. Owners are adding two playoff teams, bringing the total to 14. That will occur this season, with only the top team in each conference getting a wild-card bye. Additionally, the league's business season will start as scheduled on Wednesday. However, there was no immediate word on timing and potential format changes for the draft, scheduled for Las Vegas from April 23-25.
The Patriots have extended the contract of safety Devin McCourty, who is eighth in team history with 26 interceptions. The 32-year-old McCourty has spent his entire 10-year NFL career with New England.
The Titans are keeping the quarterback who led them within a victory of the Super Bowl, agreeing to a four-year, $118 million extension with Ryan Tannehill. The Titans went 7-3 over their final 10 regular-season games after Tannehill replaced Marcus Mariota. Tannehill was 9-4 as a starter last season and led the NFL with a career-best 117.5 passer rating, the fourth-highest in NFL history and a franchise best. He threw for 2,742 yards with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions during the regular season after coming to Tennessee from the Dolphins.
A person familiar with the trade says the Ravens have acquired five-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Calais Campbell from the Jaguars for a fifth-round pick in next month's draft. The 33-year-old Campbell was due to earn $15 million this season and count $17.5 million against Jacksonville's salary cap. He's expected to agree to a revised deal with the Ravens.
Falcons defensive tackle Tyeler Davison has agreed to a three-year contract extension. Davison started 12 of 16 games for Atlanta last season, recording a career-high 55 tackles with one sack and one fumble recovery.
Veteran tackle Anthony Castonzo has agreed to a two-year contract extension with the Colts. The 31-year-old has been the anchor of the offensive line since he arrived in 2011 as a first-round pick. Castonzo has started all 132 games he has appeared in during his NFL career, plus eight postseason games.
GOLF
The proposed Premier Golf League is getting the cold shoulder from at least two of the game's top players. Brooks Koepka tells The Associated Press he has no interest in the league, saying he has "a hard time believing golf should be about just 48 players." With golf shutting down over concerns about the new coronavirus, Koepka said he wanted it made clear he wasn't going anywhere. Koepka was the top-ranked golfer until Rory McIlroy replaced him last month. McIlroy already has passed in the Premier Golf League, saying he valued his freedom to decide when and where to play instead of the proposed schedule of 18 tournaments, not including the majors. Koepka's decision is another setback to a league promising guaranteed money and a team concept. PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan made it clear in a memo to players in late January that its tour members could not play both.
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