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The Ivy League announced Thursday evening that winter sports for the 2020-21 season were cancelled in an effort to mitigate transmission of COVID-19. Was eliminating Ivy hoops the right move? Our contributors offer their thoughts:
With a growing number of colleges cancelling in-person plans as well as fall sports in response to COVID-19, questions will soon shift to the status of winter sports. Since experts believe there will be a significant increase in cases and deaths as flu season arrives and activities moving indoors amid colder weather, it is difficult to image a return to a normal world, much less a normal sports world, by the end of 2020 or the beginning of 2021.
If there is no large-scale vaccine available or significant improvement in testing as previewed by Yale’s SalivaDirect COVID-19 test, winter teams, including men’s and women’s basketball, will not be permitted to play their traditional 4 1/2 month schedules (or 2 1/2 months in the Ivy League’s case).
Could something shorter and less traditional be done to allow college hoops to be played this winter?
When the Ivy League canceled its conference basketball tournaments in March as a precaution against COVID-19, it set off a firestorm of controversy in league circles that soon abated when the threat of the novel coronavirus sunk in. The rest of the sports world soon followed the Ivy League’s lead.
The Ivy League isn’t skipping Harvard.
The league announced on Twitter Thursday that its men’s and women’s conference tournaments will take place at Lavietes Pavilion March 12-14, 2021. The tournaments would have been held in March had they not been canceled as a precaution against the novel coronavirus COVID-19.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to devastate the nation, the areas surrounding all eight Ivies are doing what they can to protect others. Here are some ways to help the helpers, categorized by Ivy area. If you know of other organizations helping out in these areas, please email tips@ivyhoopsonline.com or post it in a comment below.
Boston Children’s Hospital is seeking donations for masks, gowns and other miscellaneous items and will accept all donations in original, unopened packaging. From outside the organization, please ship to
BCH-DONATIONS
MA2 Receiving
53 Binney Street
Boston, MA 02115
ATTN: Brian Becquart
Anyone with questions may contact Erica Denhoff directly at erica.denhoff@gmail.com.
A little more than 24 hours after their controversial decision to cancel the league’s postseason tournament was chastised by players, media, Ancient Eight enthusiasts and general sports fans, the Ivy League appears to have been ahead of the curve, as the NBA abruptly canceled the remainder of the season on Wednesday night.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Ivy League canceled the upcoming men’s and women’s basketball tournaments three days before they were to begin.
The Ivy League announced Tuesday that it has canceled the men’s and women’s conference basketball tournaments slated to be held at Harvard’s Lavietes Pavilion Friday through Sunday in response to coronavirus concerns, declaring the Princeton women and Yale men, the Ivy League regular season champions, the automatic qualifiers to the NCAA tournaments.
“We understand and share the disappointment with student-athletes, coaches and fans who will not be able to participate in these tournaments,” Ivy League Executive Director Robin Harris said. “Regrettably, the information and recommendations presented to us from public health authorities and medical professionals have convinced us that this is the most prudent decision.”
Heading into the final weekend of the regular season, six of the eight slots in next week’s Ivy Madness have been set. One thing that is not as secure are the final plans of the tournaments, due to the increasing public health threat form the novel coronavirus.
As the scope of the disease increases in numbers and locations throughout the United States, governments, corporations, schools, houses of worship and hospitals are among the many groups that have had to figure out how to perform normal actions while providing proper levels of safety and protection.
Add college basketball to that list.