UNDATED (AP) — Before fears about the coronavirus scrubbed sports for the foreseeable future, Sunday was supposed to be the Big Reveal in college basketball. Selection Sunday. The day when Americans gathered around a TV for an hour to watch the brackets being revealed. But there will be no NCAA Tournament this year. No upsets. No Sweet 16. No Final Four. No office pool. Now all sports fans can do is guess what might have been. The Kansas Jayhawks were steaming toward a top seed. Right behind them were Gonzaga, Dayton and Baylor. But as everyone knows, the tournament never goes to form. That's why they call it March Madness. This year, though, “March Sadness” feels more like it.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The cancellation of the NCAA basketball tournaments shook the nation. But more than two dozen other men's and women's championships won't be contested this winter and spring, either, and that doesn't include all the sports in Divisions II and III. The NCAA decision to cancel winter and spring sports championships means the College World Series will not be held for the first time in since 1946. The Division I baseball championship is the NCAA's No. 2 revenue producer and has been held in Omaha every year since 1950. The NCAA said the decision was based on the public health threat posed by the coronavirus.
UNDATED (AP) — Recommendations by the Center of Disease Control suggest that North American professional sports could remain on hiatus until May. The CDC says organizers should cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more throughout the United States for the next eight weeks. That window easily exceeds what would have been the remainder of the NBA and NHL regular seasons, plus would cover about the first 25% of the MLB season.
UNDATED (AP) — NFL players have narrowly approved a new labor agreement with the league that features a 17-game regular season. It also includes higher salaries, increased roster sizes and larger pensions for current and former players. The 17-game schedule won't happen before the 2021 season. The deal, which runs through the 2030 season, was accepted by the 32 team owners last month. Soon after the vote was announced today, the union began discussions with the league about Wednesday's planned opening of the 2020 NFL business season. A delay is possible given league restrictions on travel as a safeguard against the new coronavirus.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans have worked out a four-year, $118 million extension with quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who just led them within a victory of the Super Bowl. Tannehill was 9-4 as a starter last season, including a 7-3 mark after replacing an ineffective Marcus Mariota (mar-ee-OH’-tah). He threw for 2,742 yards with 22 touchdowns, six interceptions and an NFL’-leading 117.5 passer rating.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Veteran tackle Anthony Castonzo has agreed to a two-year contract extension with the Indianapolis Colts. The 31-year-old has been the anchor of the offensive line since he arrived in 2011 as a first-round pick. And after Castonzo considered retirement earlier this offseason, Colts general manager Chris Ballard made it clear he wanted Castonzo back as part of one of the league’s top offensive lines over the last two seasons. Castonzo has started all 132 games he has appeared in during his NFL career, plus eight postseason games. In 2019, Castonzo started all 16 games for the sixth time in his career.