On March 11, the sports world came to a screeching halt.
The growing concern over the coronavirus pandemic peaked when an NBA player tested positive for COVID-19. The NBA immediately shut down with just weeks remaining in the regular season. College basketball followed amid conference tournaments to determine teams for the NCAA Tournament. March Madness, which was to culminate with the Final Four in Atlanta, would be canceled.
» WATCH REPLAY: AJC host town hall on Atlanta sports amid the coronavirus pandemic
Major League Baseball stopped spring training just weeks before a new season was to begin. Professional sports leagues, here and around the world, simply stopped. College and high school sports were canceled, leaving student-athletes blindsided by the finality of their seasons, and in some cases, careers. Our beloved Peachtree Road Race was postponed and then later canceled.
Slowly, some sports have returned. The NBA, WNBA and MLS returned to play in bubbles in Florida without fans. The NHL resumed its playoffs, also in a bubble. NASCAR came back in a scaled-down version. Several major college conferences canceled or postponed seasons, including mighty football. Others did not.
In the months it took for some live sports to resume, there has been much debate on whether they should return at all. And if so, how can it be done safely.
And so here we are.
We will present an AJC Community Conversation about coronavirus and the impact of COVID-19 on sports on Sept. 24 from 5-6 p.m. The lineup of panelists includes:
Nicki Collen, Head coach, Atlanta Dream
Catie Griggs, Chief Business Officer, Atlanta United
Rich Kenah, Executive Director, Atlanta Track Club
Steve Koonin, Chief Executive Officer, Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena
D. Orlando Ledbetter, Atlanta Falcons beat reporter, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Greg McGarity, Athletic Director, University of Georgia
Todd Stansbury, Athletic Director, Georgia Institute of Technology
The event will be moderated by Brandon Adams. This is a virtual event and will be broadcast to audiences on the AJC’s Facebook page and YouTube account. You are invited to tune in with an opportunity to ask our experts about their experiences in dealing with the pandemic.
To RSVP to the event, please use the following link: www.ajc.com/conversations
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