Sports Events Should be Played Without Crowds Because of Coronavirus, NIH Expert Says

The pressure on the NCAA and professional sports leagues to hold games without fans further escalated Wednesday morning as Anthony Fauci, head of the infectious diseases division at the National Institutes of Health, recommended against large gatherings during a congressional hearing about the coronavirus.

On Tuesday, the Ivy League canceled its conference tournaments and two others conferences — the Big West and the Mid-American Conference — decided to hold their tournaments in mostly empty arenas in Anaheim, Calif. and Cleveland.

Meantime, the NBA’s Golden State Warriors played in front of a crowd Tuesday night in the face of recommendations against doing so from local government and health officials. The NCAA said it would monitor the situation as it allowed the ACC to decide to start its men’s tournament in Greensboro, N.C. with a crowd. The Big East, Big 12 and Big Ten, as of Tuesday, all prepared to start tournaments Wednesday unabated.