Chicago State University announced Tuesday that they would not be playing basketball this weekend. This announcement comes out of concern of the Coronavirus outbreak. These are the first college basketball games to be canceled due to the disease.
Coronavirus Cancels Chicago State Basketball Games
Cancellation Announcement
The announcement came late Tuesday evening out of Chicago. The school’s basketball teams were scheduled to play Seattle and Utah Valley in conference matchups. However, due to recent concerns about the virus in the United States, the university has decided not to play. The school made this decision “with the health and well-being of the campus community in mind.”
University Athletic Director Elliott Charles added a bit more.
“Chicago State athletics views our decision as a reaffirmation of our commitment to the well-being, health, and safety of our student-athletes,” Charles said.
The Coronavirus — officially named COVID-19 — infected Washington state and is spreading through the Pacific Northwest. Nine people have died so far in Washington due to the virus, as more cases are being reported throughout the United States every day.
COVID-19 has infected nearly 100,000 people worldwide, causing over 3,000 deaths in the process.
Chicago State Scheduling Adjustments
The Chicago State men’s basketball team had scheduled contests to play Seattle and Utah Valley this week. However, those games will no longer take place. The women’s team was supposed to host those two university teams. Both of those matchups were conference games within the Western Athletic Conference. Neither the WAC or Seattle University had any comment on the situation.
The men’s team is 4-25 overall and 0-14 in conference play this season. The women’s team is 1-26 overall and 1-13 in conference play.
Seattle, Washington has been hit hard by the outbreak, with nine deaths reported so far. While not said directly, the death toll has to be something on the minds of university officials. As the virus continues to spread, the health and well-being of athletes and coaches should take priority over athletics. This may be the first of many cases of cancellations in the area.
Outlook
At this time, the university has no plans to make up these games. Also, the basketball programs are deciding whether to play in next week’s conference tournaments. The university is currently determining actions to take for the rest of their athletic programs as well.
With both conference and national tournaments on the horizon, the virus could very well impact the entire landscape of college basketball in the near future. Chicago State is just the tip of the iceberg.
These coronavirus cancellations are the first in the United States in terms of major sporting events. However, COVID-19 has already affected other sports. Virus scares have left Italian soccer games without fans. Additionally, the virus may impact the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as well.
This is a developing story.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
