Sports Cancellations

A LOT GOING ON TODAY IN THE SPORTS WORLD. I WILL CONTINUE TO UPDATE YOU WITH INFORMATION AS IT BECOMES READILY AVAILABLE. AS OF THE MOST RECENT UP TO DATE NEWS I HAVE AS OF NOW HERE WE GO

BREAKING: WYOMING’S CLASS 3A AND 4A STATE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT HAS BEEN OFFICIALLY CANCELLED. THE WYOMING HIGH SCHOOL ACTIVITIES ASSCOCIATION WAS INSTRUCTED BY THE WYOMING DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND NATRONA COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO CANCEL THE STATE TOURNAMENT. THERE IS NO SUSPECTED CASES IN NATRONA COUNTY AT THIS TIME.

AT A PRESS CONFERENCE, CASPER EVENTS CENTER GENERAL MANAGER BRAD MURPHY OPENED WITH AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE CANCELLATION. HE TURNED IT OVER TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CASPER NATRONA COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT ANNA KINDER TO EXPLAIN MORE ABOUT THE DECISION. THE COMPLETE VIDEO IS FORTHCOMING.

WHSAA COMMISSIONER RON LAIRD SAID HE WOULD BE GETTING THE WHSAA BOARD OF DIRECTORS TOGETHER TODAY (THURSDAY).

“WE WILL GO AHEAD AND LOOK AT WHAT OPTIONS WE HAVE. JUST OFFHAND, I THINK IT’S GOING TO BE TOUGH (TO RESCHEDULE) CAUSE I DON’T KNOW HOW LONG THIS QUARANTINE PERIOD WILL BE FROM THE STATE, AND WE’RE ALREADY INTO TRACK AND SOCCER. FACILITY-WISE, IF WE DO DO IT, IT WOULD PROBABLY BE SPLITTING THE TOURNAMENTS UP TO TRY AND MAKE IT HAPPEN. WE’RE JUST GOING TO HAVE TO LOOK AT ALL OPTIONS RIGHT NOW.”

LAIRD ADDED, “IT CHANGED PRETTY QUICKLY FROM WHEN WE CALLED AT 8 (THIS MORNING), THAT WE WERE GOOD TO GO. THEN AT 9, WE GOT A CALL THAT SAID WE WEREN’T GOOD TO GO AND WE WERE GOING TO LIMIT FANS. THEN, RIGHT AFTER THAT, WE GOT THE CALL SAYING IT’S CANCELED.”

HE WENT ON TO SAY THAT WE AGREE THE SAFETY IS THE NO. 1 CONCERN.

ACCORDING TO WYOMING-BASKETBALL.COM, THE STATE TOURNAMENT WAS ALSO CANCELED IN 1936.

BASKETBALL GAMES DID GET UNDERWAY WITH THE FIRST GAMES OF THE DAY AT 9 THURSDAY MORNING AND WERE SET TO CONTINUE ON. AT AROUND 10AM IT WAS ANNOUNCED, AS A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE, TAHT NO ONE WOULD BE ADMITTED INTO THE GYMNASIUM IN CASPER EXCEPT PLAYERS, COACHES, OFFICIALS AND TABLE WORKERS. THE TOURNAMENT WAS OFFICIALLY CANCELLED AT 10:30 THURSDAY MORING.

STAY TUNED TO THE BIG HORN RADIO NETWORK FOR FURTHER UPDATES.

THE NORTH AMERICAN 3 HOCKEY LEAGUE (NA3HL) HAS ANNOUNCED THAT EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY ALL REGULARLY SCHEDULED 2020 NA3HL FRASER CUP PLAYOFF GAMES HAVE BEEN PAUSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE DUE TO THE COVID-19 VIRUS AND OUTBREAK.

STATEMENT FROM NAHL COMMISSIONER MARK FRANKENFELD:

“THIS IS AN UNPRECEDENTED TIME AND SITUATION, SO FIRST AND FOREMOST WE WANT TO BE SURE WE ARE DOING WHAT IS BEST FOR OUR PLAYERS, TEAMS, FANS, AND OFFICIALS. IN THE PAST 24 HOURS, IT BECAME CLEAR THAT WE NEEDED TO FOLLOW A PATH THAT WAS CONSISTENT WITH WHAT HAS TRANSPIRED IN THE HOCKEY WORLD, PARTICULARLY WITH OUR PARTNERS AT USA HOCKEY, THE NCAA, THE NHL, AND USHL.”

“WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE SITUATION DAILY WITH EVERYONE INVOLVED AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT GIVEN THE CURRENT LANDSCAPE, THINGS COULD CHANGE AT ANY MOMENT. OUR NUMBER ONE GOAL IS TO RESUME PLAY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, BUT ONLY WHEN WE FEEL IT IS SAFE FOR ALL OF THE PARTIES INVOLVED. WE ARE CURRENTLY SPEAKING WITH THE NA3HL MEMBERS AND LEADERSHIP TO DETERMINE A FURTHER COURSE OF ACTION.”

IN OTHER NEWS THE STATE SPEECH EVENT SCHEDULED FOR THIS WEEKEND HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

OVER IN THE COLLEGE RANKS ALL POWER 5 CONFERENCES AS WELL AS THE BIG EAST AND AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE HAVE CANCELED THEIR CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT BECAUSE OF THE CORONAVIRUS. ALSO ANNOUNCING THAT THEIR TOURNAMENTS WOULD NOT BE PLAYED WERE THE AMERICAN, ATLANTIC 10, CONFERENCE USA, MAC, AMERICA EAST, BIG SKY AND WAC.

THE MOUNTAIN WEST BOARD OF DIRECTORS ISSUED A RELEASE THURSDAY THAT THE CONFERENCE WAS SUSPENDING ALL SPRING SPORTS COMPETITIONS AS A RESULT OF THE CURRENT STATUS OF THE CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19).

MEANWHILE, BOTH DUKE AND KANSAS UNIVERSITIES HAVE ANNOUNCED THEY’VE SUSPENDED ATHLETIC COMPETITION FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE DUE TO CORONAVIRUS. KANSAS IS THE NUMBER 1 TEAM IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL.

TOP NCAA OFFICIALS ARE MEETING MOST OF THE DAY THURSDAY TO DECIDE THE FUTURE OF THE 2020 NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT AMID GROWING CONCERNS OVER THE CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) PANDEMIC, A HIGH-LEVEL NCAA SOURCE TOLD CBS SPORTS’ DENNIS DODD. THOUGH A DECISION COULD BE SHARED WITH THE PUBLIC AT ANY POINT, THE CURRENT EXPECTATION IS THAT AN OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT WON’T BE MADE UNTIL FRIDAY.

IN THE PROFESSIONAL SPORTS SETTING…

IN A STATEMENT RELEASED BY THE NBA IT SAYS THEY ARE SUSPENDING GAME PLAY FOLLOWING THE CONCLUSION OF [WEDNESDAY’S] SCHEDULE OF GAMES UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, THE NBA WILL USE THIS HIATUS TO DETERMINE NEXT STEPS FOR MOVING FORWARD IN REGARD TO THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC.”

THE PLAYER THAT TESTED POSITIVE IS RUDY GOBERT OF THE UTAH JAZZ, SOURCES TOLD ESPN’S ADRIAN WOJNAROWSKI. THAT LED TO UTAH’S GAME AT OKLAHOMA CITY BEING POSTPONED JUST BEFORE TIPOFF.

AFTER A CONFERENCE CALL AMONG OWNERS THIS AFTERNOON, MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL IS EXPECTED TO SUSPEND SPRING TRAINING. THE LEAGUE LIKELY WILL DELAY THE BEGINNING OF THE REGULAR SEASON AS WELL. AT THIS POINT, IT’S A FORMALITY THAT OWNERSHIP-LEVEL SOURCES EXPECT TO HAPPEN.

THE NHL HAS SUSPENDED ITS SEASON DUE TO THE RAPID SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS BUT HOPES TO RESUME IN THE FUTURE, SOURCES TOLD ESPN THURSDAY.

THERE ARE 189 GAMES AND THREE AND A HALF WEEKS REMAINING IN THE NHL’S REGULAR SEASON. THERE WERE 10 GAMES ON THE NHL SLATE THURSDAY.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL WILL SUSPEND OPERATIONS FOR THE NEXT FOUR WEEKS, INCLUDING SPRING TRAINING AND THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF THE REGULAR SEASON IN RESPONSE TO THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS, THE LEAGUE ANNOUNCED THURSDAY. THE MLB SEASON WAS ORIGINALLY SET TO START MARCH 26, BUT OPENING DAY WILL NOW OCCUR NO EARLIER THAN APRIL 9. MLB IS THE FOURTH MAJOR AMERICAN PRO SPORTS LEAGUE TO SUSPEND ITS SEASON DUE TO THE OUTBREAK OF COVID-19, JOINING THE NBA, NHL AND MLS.

THE DECISION COMES AFTER THE LEAGUE’S OWNERS DISCUSSED PLANS ON A CONFERENCE CALL THURSDAY AFTERNOON. MLB CEASED OPERATIONS AT 4 P.M. ET ON THURSDAY, BUT SPRING TRAINING GAMES WERE PLAYED AS SCHEDULED IN FLORIDA ON THURSDAY AFTERNOON WITH FANS IN ATTENDANCE.