While none of us ever expected to leave school early, be confined to our homes and conform for a new “normal” way of life, coronavirus has hit us hard. People are now realizing what life is like without hobbies and most importantly without sports. Originally, the March Madness was going to be held and go on as normal, but no fans would be allowed to attend. Duke Men’s Basketball planned on participating but just as fast as Corona snuck up on us, a decision was made.
On Wednesday, March 12, 2020 Duke’s President, Vincent Price, made the decision to cancel all athletics. This decision prompted a movement, but more importantly it put a stop to the ACC and March Madness Tournament. The ACC has planned on continuing play but Price would not stand for it. This decision was the first to be made by any coach or university but Price felt that it was the right decision to make. In an interview Price said that “public health is our primary concern. The athletic community has the opportunity to make a statement how important for all of us it is to practice social distancing. It’s the smart thing to do.” Putting their fans, athletes and employees first, Duke’s decision would set in motion what we now know as the “new” normal. One by one schools and teams started pulling out of tournaments and cancelling athletics.
Coach K spoke publicly about this situation. He said that “we’re really at war right now with an unseen enemy, the coronavirus,” “This is a time for unity, it’s a time for everyone to work together and really develop what should be there all the time, and that’s a country’s team in support of one another to beat this.” As said earlier, no one could have expected this but it’s here and it’s changing the way nations live. After a month without sports, school or work hundreds of thousands of people are losing their minds. It is up to us to obey the rules of society and stay inside, practice social distancing and hope that this epidemic ends earlier than expected.
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