MLB suspending spring training and pushing back the season: report

MLB is expected to cease all spring training activities sometime Thursday afternoon, following the lead of other American sports leagues amid the growing coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., ESPN reported.
After a conference call among owners this afternoon, Major League Baseball is expected to suspend spring training. The league likely will delay the beginning of the regular season as well. At this point, it’s a formality that ownership-level sources expect to happen.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 12, 2020
On Wednesday night, the NBA announced that it was suspending its season. Two Utah Jazz players, Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, have both tested positive for the virus that has infected over 120,000 people worldwide.
Earlier on Thursday, Major League Soccer suspended its season and shortly after Passan’s tweet, the National Hockey League tweeted that it was also suspending its season.
At the collegiate level, the NCAA on Wednesday announced that its annual men’s and women’s Division I basketball tournaments, known commonly as March Madness, would be restricted to only team family members, essential staff and media.
However, on Thursday, many of the NCAA’s major basketball conferences – including the Big Ten, Big East, SEC and ACC – all canceled their respective conference tournaments, leaving the status of the NCAA tournament up in the air.
In the U.S., there have been over 1,300 confirmed cases of virus with over 30 related deaths.
Updated at 2:09 p.m.
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