The NCAA had no choice but to cancel the men’s and women’s March Madness tournaments, among all other remaining winter and spring sports’ championships, because of the coronavirus outbreak. It was the safest thing to do to protect the athletes and team members, their fans and anyone they may come into contact with.
In addition to the NCAA’s announcement Thursday afternoon, several other sports organizations have postponed their seasons or canceled events — including the NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS and professional tennis — in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19, the new highly contagious coronavirus strain.
Among the many, many ramifications of college sports coming to a halt Thursday afternoon with the NCAA’s announcement, seniors — and athletes who were planning on turning pro after this season — are suddenly realizing their college careers are over. And while they and their fans can recognize this was the correct decision to make in the wake of a global health crisis, it’s still devastating for them nonetheless.
The NCAA could, however, grant waivers allowing athletes impacted to return for another season if they wanted, but that would also come with a variety of complications.
Several college athletes took to social media to share their reactions to the abrupt end of the season and likely their college careers.
