The outbreak of the coronavirus disease in the United States and Canada could soon lead to a very different experience for NBA games. It might also spark losses of jobs for those whose employers depend on revenue from people attending NBA games and spur legal battles between corporate sponsors and NBA teams over their contractual obligations.
On Friday, the NBA sent a memo to teams indicating that they should prepare for the possibility of playing games without fans in attendance. These preparations, the memo reportedly notes, include “the possibility of implementing temperature checks on players, team staff, referees, and anyone else who is essential to conducting such a game in the team’s arena.