Networks get through first weekend with taped programming

Greensboro Coliseum is mostly empty after the NCAA college basketball games were cancelled at the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Greensboro, N.C., Thursday, March 12, 2020. The biggest conferences in college sports all canceled their basketball tournaments because of the new coronavirus, seemingly putting the NCAA Tournament in doubt. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

By JOE REEDY – Scott Van Pelt was supposed to be breaking down the NCAA Tournament bracket on a busy Sunday night on ESPN’s “SportsCenter.”

Instead, Van Pelt was figuring out how to fill most of the hour with the sports world on hold because of the spread of the coronavirus.

“I have no idea. Right now having a rundown is a bit pointless,” Van Pelt said. “It’s like changing recipes on the fly. Are we making cookies? No, making something entirely different. I don’t know what else can be cancelled on our watch. It’s been quite a week.”

Van Pelt was supposed to be doing halftime segments during last Wednesday’s NBA games. What ended up happening was Van Pelt updating viewers about the NBA season as well as providing interviews and analysis once the New Orleans Pelicans’ game at the Sacramento Kings was postponed.

Contests & Events