The coronavirus is nothing like we’ve ever seen before but it’s not the first-time sporting events have been cancelled on a global scale. Regardless, there haven’t many times in history where we’ve hit the brakes on sports.
Healing through sports,
The Last Night’s Game Team
1. While we’ve never seen cancellations like this from a virus, we’ve seen plenty of examples of entire seasons cancelled due to contract negations between the players and the owners. In 2011, the NBA (National Basketball Association) shorted their season (which the players probably preferred) because they couldn’t come to terms and MLB (Major League Baseball) has missed out on the second half of a season and a World Series in 1994. The NHL (National Hockey League) has done it too in 2004. Keep an eye on the NFL as the hotly contested deal from 2011 expires in 2021. At this point, all signs say we could have another lock out next year. SAY IT ISN’T SO
2. The Olympics have made it through some rough patches in history but World War I led to a cancellation of the 1916 Summer Games in host country Germany. Germany was awarded the game over bids by Alexandria, Amsterdam, Brussels, Budapest and Cleveland. The country ended up hosting the 1936 Summer Olympics while it was under the rule of Adolf Hitler. ON A GLOBAL SCALE
3. The tragic events of 9/11 disrupted the world, including the sports world. The NFL and college football cancelled games. MLB took a week off in the last month of their season, leading to the first ever World Series to be played in November. Many will remember the first game back of the MLB postseason and the iconic moment when President Bush threw out the first pitch or the goosebump evoking home run by New York Mets’ Mike Piazza. A SENSE OF NORMALCY
4. Japan was on board to host the 1940 Summer Olympics but two years before the contest, they excused themselves from their host duties to put all resources toward their military during conflict. The games were then awarded to Finland but the start of World War II in 1939 led to cancellation of the Olympics all together. The 1944 London Summer Olympics were also cancelled because of WWII. Those two Olympics are referred to by historians as the “Lost Olympics.” A PIECE OF HISTORY
5. As of today’s post, we know that March Madness will proceed next week but without fans. The NBA has suspended its season after a player tested positive for the virus. All other major professional sports leagues that are playing right now have closed their locker rooms to media and non-essential personnel. All Italian sporting events are closed to fans, many Olympic qualifying events have been cancelled and the big tennis tournament in Indian Wells is cancelled, leaving $400 million in tourism dollars on the table. BIG DECISIONS ON THE LINE
