Refunds will be given to anyone who has purchased tickets, but the rest needs to be ironed outGETTY IMAGES
NCAA President Mark Emmert in the organization's decision to ban fans from the NCAA Tournament "cautioned repeatedly that with the fluidity and rapid spread of the coronavirus, nothing is final," according to Dana O'Neil of THE ATHLETIC. After holding firm that the tournament would go on as planned, Emmert said that the NCAA "reversed its course after several campuses nationwide shuttered their doors to students and cities invoked their own social gathering rules." Emmert added he was especially mindful of the gravity of his decision because "our decision is likely to have an impact on other people's decisions." Meanwhile, Emmert said that the "particulars of the tournament remain to be determined." Refunds "will be given to anyone who has purchased tickets," but the rest "needs to be ironed out." The First Four, the eight early sites and the four regional venues "will host as planned." Emmert said changing the tournament sites entirely would become a "sort of whack-a-mole." He added all of these decisions will be finalized "before the end of the week." Even now, Emmert "expected there will be more curveballs, and his office, as well as the tournament selection committee, is preparing for every foreseeable outcome it can envision, including if a team declines to participate in the tournament" (THEATHLETIC.com, 3/11).
ACTION PLAN: SI.com's Pat Forde wrote by Tuesday, it "seemed clear that America had reached a tipping point regarding how to handle large public gatherings in relation to the virus," and by yesterday afternoon, the NCAA "had a plan to act." With the fluidity of the situation, Emmert said, "It's going to get worse." The NCAA and its coronavirus advisory team "will continue monitoring and will make other adjustments as needed." Emmert said, "As long as college sports goes on and college athletes get to play, and we can do it by controlling the environment as effectively as possible, we feel fine if we can continue to make that work. If that changes and the environment gets considerably worse, we will adjust" (SI.com, 3/11).
