College basketball fans, media react to NCAA Tournament cancellation
The NCAA Tournament has been canceled due to concerns over the coronavirus and college basketball fans are shocked and saddened by no March Madness.
While it felt inevitable given the outbreak of the coronavirus, it doesn’t hurt any less to hear. On Thursday, the NCAA officially canceled the 2020 NCAA Tournament for both men’s and women’s basketball, meaning March Madness is off this year.
Additionally, all winter and spring championships in college athletics have been canceled.
This is truly an unprecedented measure being taken by the NCAA to not just postpone or delay March Madness but to cancel the NCAA Tournament entirely. In the over 80 years of the tournament, this has quite literally never happened before.
So, naturally, college basketball fans and media members throughout the world were shocked by the announcement and cancellation. Many of them took to Twitter to try and get some of those thoughts out.
— Mark Titus (@clubtrillion) March 12, 2020
There was no other choice by @NCAA but to cancel @marchmadness my heart goes out to all the players, coaches and fans, etc that dream of being part of this magical tournament. However, this is the time where sports must take the back seat to the concerns of public health.
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) March 12, 2020
Guys, there has NEVER been an NCAA Tournament cancellation
— Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) March 12, 2020
Not during the Great Depression
Not during World War II
Not during the Cold War
LITERALLY NEVER
That's what we're dealing with here
We knew it was coming. Still hurts immensely. https://t.co/187IJtelzS
— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) March 12, 2020
In the past I’ve run a contest on @FOXSports where someone would win my house if they completed a perfect NCAA tournament bracket. This year there would be 250k people on the deed as this is what that would loook like. #RIPMarchMadness pic.twitter.com/dE8Fu42NaS
— Cousin Sal (@TheCousinSal) March 12, 2020
I can't even put into words how much I love March Madness and the Final Four.
— Jessica Benson (@jessbensontv) March 12, 2020
My heart breaks for the athletes, coaches and fans.
My heart hurts for all of the workers who will be without the income they were counting on from the tournament.
💔
March Madness — cancelled.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 12, 2020
Spring championships — cancelled. Unreal. https://t.co/8jHwViwd86
March Madness, the greatest sporting event of the year, is cancelled. You guys know how much I love the tourney ... this stinks. But it’s the smart, safe move pic.twitter.com/0dHiHroH0t
— Jason McIntyre (@jasonrmcintyre) March 12, 2020
Even my past relationships haven’t left me this heartbroken. #MarchMadness 💔 https://t.co/i2xw09zOEg
— Chad Aycock (@ChadAycock) March 12, 2020
Every single college athlete missing March Madness is super sad, but I can't stop thinking about Sabrina Ionescu, who passed on being the #1 pick for one of the WNBA's most popular teams because she felt like she had unfinished business at Oregon.
— Brady Klopfer (@BradyKlopferNBA) March 12, 2020
Now no chance to finish it.
It’s hard not to feel for the players and the fans alike. Many of the players do not get to fully finish their college basketball careers that they’ve worked their whole lives to reach. It’s the dream of many players to take the court in March Madness and now many may not get that opportunity.
Meanwhile, the NCAA Tournament is a time when fans fall in love with the game of basketball all over again. There is truly no other time of year quite like it, so having it taken off the calendar hurts in its own way as well.
Yet, as true as that all may be and as shocking and sad as this cancelation is, it’s for the best. Everything we know — and perhaps even more so what we don’t know — about the coronavirus suggests that having the NCAA Tournament would be dangerous for fans and the players. So to call it off is abrupt and surely controversial but also the proper course of action.
Even though these are serious times and moves by the NCAA, though, a little niche college humor is in order. And this tweet hit a home run in that department.
congrats to UCF on winning the 2020 NCAA tournament
— Ethan Zien (@ejzien) March 12, 2020
Canceling the NCAA Tournament is just the latest huge sports story regarding the effects of the coronavirus. And it certainly won’t be the last at this point.
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