NCAA Basketball: Impact of canceling March Madness for 2019-20 season

The NCAA announced Thursday that it is canceling the 2020 NCAA Basketball Tournament due to concerns about COVID-19, a decision that impacts far more than just games.

This is not the way it was supposed to end.

It’s not the way it’s ever supposed to end.

On Thursday afternoon, the NCAA announced that it was canceling the remaining winter and spring championships, including the 2020 NCAA Tournament.

"Today, NCAA President Mark Emmert and the Board of Governors canceled the Division I men’s and women’s 2020 basketball tournaments, as well as all remaining winter and spring NCAA championships. This decision is based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to spread of the pandemic, and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given ongoing decisions by other entities."

On the heels of the NBA suspending their season for at least 30 days to combat the coronavirus and after conferences canceled their own tournaments earlier Thursday, it was a move many were fearing but expecting.

The NCAA Tournament has been played every year since it was created in 1939, meaning this will be the first time in over 80 years in which there will be no March Madness.

That in and of itself is terrible, as the event and conference tournaments leading up to it dominate the sports landscape so much there’s a dedicated month to it. Fan interest in the sport remains extremely high and, as an obvious result, there are many fans (myself included) disappointed by the fact they won’t get to experience that this year, though are understanding of it at the same time.

But the impact and ripple effects of this decision go far beyond just the basic cancellation of games.