An NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament in Baltimore will be played Friday and Saturday without spectators as officials work to combat the spread of coronavirus.
The decision affects the tournament's first two rounds, scheduled to be played at Johns Hopkins University.
"Based on CDC guidance for large gatherings, we have determined that it is prudent to hold this tournament without spectators," a statement from tournament officials said.
That tournament had already brushed virus-related controversy before the decision about the crowd was made. The coach of Yeshiva University's team had to find new accommodations for his players when the hotel where it had reserved rooms, DoubleTree by Hilton in Pikesville, Md., canceled the reservation. A student at Yeshiva, an Orthodox Jewish university in New York, has tested positive for the virus.
The coach of the Maccabees considered it discrimination.
"I made it very clear to the hotel that it's discrimination," coach Elliot Steinmetz said. "I basically said to them: 'Do you have a checkbox on your website that says that you've been in an area with suspected coronavirus?' And they said no. So I said: 'Is it just for the guests of Yeshiva University?' And they said yes. I told them that that's called discrimination."
Stanford took a separate approach, not banning fans but limiting them. The school announced it had established attendance limits at 10 sports venues "to allow fans the opportunity for social distancing."
The university said attendance would be limited to about one-third of each venue's capacity through at least April 15.
