On Sunday evening the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a recommendation to cancel all in-person events of 50 or more people for the next eight weeks, in hopes that it will limit the spread of COVID-19, a strain of coronavirus.
For pro sports leagues which have only cancelled for 30 days, it is looking less and less likely that they will be able to resume on that timeline.
The NBA, MLS, and NHL have all suspended their seasons for March at the very least, but the initial 30-day timelines the leagues seemed to be targeting are now looking like an improbability. Even hopes of playing in empty stadiums are now looking unlikely — two rosters of teams and support staff would surpass the 50-person limit the CDC is recommending.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that a number of NBA owners are already looking at mid-to-late June as a targeted return, with no fans.
“This recommendation is made in an attempt to reduce introduction of the virus into new communities and to slow the spread of infection in communities already affected by the virus,” the CDC wrote in the statement. “This recommendation is not intended to supersede the advice of local public health officials.”
That last sentence is important. The CDC is making a recommendation, not a command, and defers to the advice of local public health officials.
Likewise, lots could change in the next month or two. But it’s looking more and more likely that we could go a long, long time without sports.
