MONROE — After sweeping the international news cycles for a month, the threat of COVID-19, also known as the novel coronavirus, has begun to hit closer to home — and has squashed the sports world in the process.

On Wednesday, March 11, the basketball world all but stopped. The NCAA announced its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments — also known as March Madness and one of highest-rated sporting events in the world — would be played in empty stadiums devoid of fans. The University of Wisconsin came out with its own response to the pandemic, as did other area colleges. 

The NBA threw down the biggest hammer of the day — suspending its season indefinitely after two players tested positive. Within 24 hours, Major League Baseball, the NHL, several soccer leagues, and the NCAA conference tournaments paused all play for an indefinite amount of time.

Locally, the WIAA came out with its own response the morning of March 11, saying they were following information as it came. Local school districts and athletic directors did the same.

“The WIAA Executive Staff has been in continuous discussions with local and state health officials and organizations, as well as other high school associations in the Midwest,” said Todd Clark of the WIAA in a press release emailed March 11. “We continue to look at all the medical evidence and breaking information regarding COVID-19 to make the best decision possible with the information available to us.”

Within 24 hours, the WIAA announced that the both the boys and girls state basketball tournaments would play with restricted fan limits of just 88 people, as well as with limited credentialed media. Just before 5 p.m. March 12, the WIAA announced the Kohl Center would no longer hosting the boys tournament, but there was no mention of a potential new location. Earlier in the day, the WIAA and University of Wisconsin had decided to continue to allow the building to host, just with limited attendance. Boys sectional tournament games were also restricted in fan access.

UW-Madison had a late-night emergency session in regard to facility use and the athletic department March 10. The school determined that once spring breaks ends, classes will be held online to limit any potential spread of the disease after March 23 until at least April 10.

“We will continue to monitor any new information, and if anything changes with our Tournament Series events, we will issue a statement,” Clark said in the WIAA’s March 11 press release. “At this time, we have discussed options for continuing to conduct the WIAA Boys Basketball State Tournament. We will continue discuss all options. While we hear that universities and colleges have been closing their campuses, it is important to keep in mind that their student populations include international students who are returning to campus from spring break and countries which may have been infected more. In addition, those students are being quarantined as they return.”

Similar changes for prep tournaments were approved in the Midwest. In Ohio, state tournament tickets already purchased were voided, with the state’s high school authority, the OSHAA, limiting the number of seats available. Only four tickets per player will be allowed for purchase, and just two per coach and administrator for upcoming basketball, hockey and wrestling tournaments. Illinois basically mirrored Ohio, but is allowing just 60 spectators per contest.

At UW-La Crosse, classes the week following spring break were canceled, and once classes restart in late March, it will be online-only. Students are encouraged to stay inside and away from large groups. The school also canceled all university transportation services, before backtracking with the athletic department. The baseball team, which includes freshman Colton Schraepfer of Blanchardville, was informed late on March 10 that the spring trip to Florida was canceled.

“We were called to a meeting last night at 10:50 p.m. from our head coach. We were told that our spring break trip to Florida was canceled by the university,” Schraepfer said. “The athletic department was told to tell their teams and we were left with no explanation from the university. The student-athletes here have been left with many unknown answers and it’s ridiculous.”

By mid-afternoon the next day, Schraepfer and his teammates were told that the trip was back on — again, without explanation. The Eagles are set to be gone from March 12-19.

“I’m super excited,” Schraepfer said, adding “this is crazy.”

Monroe athletic and activities director Jeff Newcomer was at a meeting with other Badger Conference athletic directors March 11 to discuss possible local responses to the pandemic.

“The district, Badger Conference and WIAA are monitoring the situation closely,” Newcomer said. “At this time, we will continue to do our part to reduce risks as well as limit the spread of germs.”

Washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds several times a day is the safest bet to stop spreading the harmful germs, as there is currently no vaccine for COVID-19. When soap and water are not available, alcohol-based hand sanitizer is another safe option. Health officials also say to avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands; stay home when feeling ill and avoid close contact with people who are sick. Frequent cleaning and disinfecting of surface areas and objects are also recommended

Brittany Spencer-Grant, New Glarus athletic director, said there has been administration-level conversations about her school district, and the Capitol Conference Athletic Directors were having a meeting March 11 with COVID-19 as a discussion topic.

Monticello currently has no plans to take any extra precautions, but will continue to monitor the situation and “would take direction from the WIAA, Green County Health Department, and Wisconsin Department of Health Services if any further actions become warranted,” said Carolyn Schwartzlow, Monticello athletic director and school nurse/wellness director. 

Argyle and Black Hawk are in the same spot as well, having no further discussions. 

According to the WIAA, Dane County Public Health is not recommending closing area schools.

Local changes come just days after Italy went into a country-wide lockdown, the World Health Organization on March 11 labeled the viral outbreak a pandemic with over 134,000 cases worldwide, including over 4,900 deaths — an astonishing fatality rate of about 4.4% — nearly 44-times higher than the normal flu. 

“A pandemic is the worldwide spread of a new disease,” the WHO said in a statement. “An influenza pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus emerges and spreads around the world, and most people do not have immunity.”

Wisconsin has had only a handful of cases entering March 12, but that number went from one to six in just three days. Threat of the disease spreading among mass-crowds was enough to push many event organizers to drastically change course of scheduled plans, like other states have.

Washington state has also been the heaviest hit in the union, with more than 29 dead and 325 infected of the now 1,500-plus cases in the United States. The state banned gatherings of more than 250 people in its three most populous counties, immediately affecting the XFL football team Seattle Dragons and Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders. The stadium the Dragons and Sounders play in, CenturyLink Field, had an employee test positive for COVID-19. The Sounders had postponed one game already, with the league suspending the season for at least 30 days starting March 12. The Dragons will play in an empty stadium for its next game. 

Major League Baseball is trying to figure out plans for the upcoming regular season, which kicks off in less than three weeks. On March 12, after MLB owners and commissioner Rob Manfred held a conference call, the league decided to suspend its Spring Training by two weeks, pushing the start of the regular season back from the last week in March until April.

When the season opens, the Seattle Mariners might have to play without fans in the stands, as well as the San Francisco Giants. San Francisco Mayor London Breed effectively put a hold of large gatherings as well, limiting crowds to under 1,000. The Golden State Warriors of the NBA said the team would be playing in an empty arena for the foreseeable future, same as the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets in Ohio. Neither team will host games, however, as both the NBA and NHL postponed the season indefinitely. Utah Jazz players Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell have already tested positive for COVID-19.

Overseas, Italy’s major soccer league, Serie A, as well as Spanish top tier La Liga have been postponed until into April, but the ban didn’t happen early enough for Daniele Rugani, a Juventus player, who tested positive for coronavirus. Many other leagues, including the English Premier League and the Europa Cup, are preparing to hold games in empty stadiums — if at all. The PGA Tour also announced that golf tournaments would be played without fans into April.