NCAA made right move to cancel NCAA Tournaments but I’m still sad for the players

It was the right move by the NCAA to cancel the NCAA Tournaments, but I’m still sad for the players who won’t get the opportunity to play in March Madness.

The NCAA had no other choice but to cancel the NCAA Tournament in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The possibility of March Madness being postponed and resuming in late April or early May was a nice hope, but ultimately, it wasn’t an option that was worth pursuing for myriad reasons.

In addition to the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Tournaments getting canceled, college football programs have suspended athletic activity, imposed recruiting travel restrictions and spring championships were canceled too.

The NCAA released a statement about the cancelations in the wake of the pandemic:

"Today, NCAA President Mark Emmert and the Board of Governors canceled the Division I men’s and women’s 2020 basketball tournaments, as well as all remaining winter and spring NCAA championships. This decision is based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to spread of the pandemic, and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given ongoing decisions by other entities."

It’s an unprecedented day in college athletics, really in sports in general, and we don’t know if there will be any alterations for the college football season in the fall.

While I understand this was the right decision, and the only decision, I am also really sad and heartbroken for the players who won’t have the chance to compete in March Madness, the College World Series and try to win a championship.

I can’t help but think about players like Luka Garza, Myle Powell, Malachi Flynn and Obi Toppin, who should win the Wooden and Naismith Awards as the National Player of the Year. He’s had a sensational year and was going to be a star in March. The Dayton superstar was surely going to lead the Flyers to their first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Now, that dream is gone.

I’m disappointed we won’t see a new wave of underdogs who become Cinderella stories we look back on during March every year. There will be no Bryce Drew moments this year. There won’t be a nation rooting for an underdog team like George Mason, VCU or Butler this year.

There won’t be brackets being filled out and casual and die-hard fans competing with each other for bragging rights. There won’t be the shared experience of ripping up your bracket after one of your Final Four picks is ousted in the first round. There won’t be One Shining Moment.

It stinks for teams like Rutgers and Penn State who were headed to the NCAA Tournament in years. It hurts for teams like Illinois who was making their return to the Tournament in nearly a decade. The fans, the players, the coaches, the families and the entire university who roots and supports these people, I hurt with you.

I’m crushed for the seniors on teams who worked tirelessly for the past four years to get in position to make the NCAA Tournament and potentially take the scissors to the net and walk away with a piece of history. They’ll never be able to have that chance again.

Many of the players like Toppin will be able to continue their careers in the NBA, but they represent the small minority of players who get to keep playing.

For players without an NBA future, this was going to be as good as it gets. This was their mountaintop. They were approaching the summit. It was in sight. They could reach out and touch it. It was right there. Until it was taken away from them.

There is no person or people to blame for this. I know it can help you feel better, even temporarily, to direct your ire at something. It’s not going to help in this case. No matter how much we yell or get uspet about this, the reality is it won’t bring back the NCAA Tournament, College World Series or give seniors a proper send-off.

My hope is the NCAA will have waivers in place for the seniors who want to return for one final season next year, and they’ll get the proper farewell season they are entitled to.

This whole thing has been unfair. We’re told life isn’t fair and it’s how we react to these types of things that defines us. In the wake of these cancelations, the NCAA can do what’s right — just as they did what is right by making these cancellations — and make sure the student-athletes will not lose a year.

The next few days, weeks and months are going to be new for all of us. It’s going to be weird, a little scary and perhaps a little unsettling to not check box scores and the daily news. Together, we can get through this and commiserate just as we do during wins and losses.

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