Coronavirus has infected more than 100,000 people worldwide and caused at least 4,000 deaths. As of Monday there were 707 confirmed cases in the U.S., according to The New York Times. The disease has already impacted the sports world internationally.
The Italian government initially mandated that all sporting events be played without fans, including Serie A soccer games. Now all Serie A matches until April 3 have been postponed while all of Italy is placed under a nationwide lockdown due to coronavirus. Hockey teams have played in nearly empty arenas in Switzerland's National League after the Swiss government banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people. It's also become unclear if the 2020 Olympic Games this summer in Tokyo will continue as planned.
Professional teams in the United States are now contemplating action. Some college teams have already taken action by canceling games or having games played behind closed doors.
How has the sports world handled the outbreak so far, and what are the steps for the near future if/when the coronavirus continues to spread?
NCAA basketball
Chicago State made the first move in American sports Thursday when the Division I school canceled its men's and women's basketball games. The men's team was scheduled for a road trip to the Seattle area, where 11 of the 14 confirmed deaths in the U.S. had occurred.
John Hopkins University in Baltimore announced it would not allow spectators into the first two rounds of the NCAA Division III basketball tournament over the weekend.
"In light of Maryland's recently confirmed cases of COVID-19, and based on CDC guidance for large gatherings, we have determined that it is prudent to hold this tournament without spectators," the school said in a statement.
MORE: NCAA monitoring coronavirus before March Madness
Stanford University is limiting attendance at its venues to one-third capacity, as the San Francisco Chronicle noted Friday. That could depress attendance for the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament if the Cardinal, as expected, host first- and second-round games at Maples Pavilion beginning March 20 or 21.
The question has turned to the upcoming NCAA Division I men's tournament that starts March 17. The tournament is an incredible moneymaker for the NCAA, with $867.5 million coming from the television and marketing rights alone. Canceling the tournament entirely seems impossible, but the NCAA could feasibly play the 67 tournament games behind closed doors.
That, obviously, is not ideal, either. The NCAA generates $177.9 million from championship ticket sales.
NBA
Multiple NBA team executives have considered playing without crowds as a last resort, according to USA Today. The Athletic reported Friday night that the league holds a similar view, telling teams in a memo that they should begin preparing for games with no spectators present and identifying "essential staff" to work in arenas, in case the need arises.
All four major sports leagues have suggested that athletes avoid high-fives. The NBA sent out a memo that discouraged high-fives and underlined the concern for the illness in the U.S.
NHL
At a press conference last Thursday, the Santa Clara County Public Health Department recommended that large public events should be canceled. The San Jose Sharks acknowledged the recommendation but said they would still play against the Wild that night.
"We will be evaluating further upcoming events in the coming days," the Sharks said in a statement.
On Monday, The San Jose Mercury reported that Santa Clara had banned large public gatherings, likely meaning three upcoming Sharks games this month will be played without a crowd if at all.
MLB
MLB has no plans to cancel or postpone games. The league did suggest players refrain from signing autographs for fans in the crowd.
Baseball does have experience with games played without fans in attendance. The most famous occurrence happened in Baltimore, where the Orioles and White Sox played in front of an empty stadium in the wake of the Baltimore Riots in 2015. The Cubs' Triple-A team in Des Moines, Iowa, played in front of an empty stadium after the devastating Iowa floods of 2008.
On Monday, the league announced it would keep reporters out of clubhouses.
Major League Baseball will join the NBA and NHL in closing clubhouses to media due to fear over potential spread of coronavirus, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 9, 2020
XFL
A part-time vendor who worked at CenturyLink Field during the Seattle Dragons' game on Feb. 22 tested positive for COVID-19. The employee did not show signs of the virus while he or she was working the game, and the local public health department "determined that there was a low risk of infection for anyone at the game."
Tennis
The 2020 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, Calif., has been called off due to coronavirus cases in the region.
Olympics
A spokesperson from the International Olympics Committee said, "We are going to have the Games on the 24th of July."
The Associated Press reported it is unlikely the Olympics will be moved to another city or postponed for a year. Dick Pound, an International Olympic Committee official since 1978, told the AP it's more likely the Olympics are canceled if they can't be held as scheduled.
“This is the new war, and you have to face it," Pound said. "In and around that time, I’d say folks are going to have to ask, ‘Is this under sufficient control that we can be confident about going to Tokyo or not?’”