Sporting events are generally regarded by those who follow them as an outlet, an escape from the real world and the troubles that go along with it. There is a lot more nuance to the reality of the situation than that, of course—sports are very much a part of the real world—and we generally don’t like to be reminded of that when games and other elements intersect.
The prevailing story around the world right now, however, is increasingly becoming unavoidable, that being the continuing spread of the COVID-19 strain of the coronavirus. Already in the United States alone, some cities and states are implementing bans on gatherings of certain amounts of people and taking a number of other measures in the hopes of limiting the spread of the virus.