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Empty arenas may become the new normal as coronavirus impacts the Golden State Warriors

By Duncan Smith

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 07: A general view during the warm up before the game between the Golden State Warriors and the Philadelphia 76ers at Chase Center on March 07, 2020 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 07: A general view during the warm up before the game between the Golden State Warriors and the Philadelphia 76ers at Chase Center on March 07, 2020 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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In the first domino to fall around the NBA, the city of San Francisco banned large gatherings for the next two weeks, impacting the Golden State Warriors.

It’s the first domino to fall, but it likely won’t be the last. On Wednesday the city of San Francisco announced a ban on gatherings of over 1,000 people, impacting the Golden State Warriors and the NBA as well.

The city’s mayor and district supervisor tweeted out information along with the announcement:

The Warriors have two home games in this two-week stretch, including Thursday night against the Brooklyn Nets in Kevin Durant‘s return to the Bay Area (he’s still out with injury but traveling with the team on their West Coast trip).

While their second game’s fate has any possible number of outcomes because it won’t be played until March 25th against the Atlanta Hawks, the NBA has already made their wishes known about Thursday’s game: They want it played at Chase Center in San Francisco, and they want it closed to the public.

The last thing anybody should be concerned about at a time like this is money, but it’s notable that the Golden State Warriors are a highly lucrative gate draw bringing in between $3.6 and $3.8 million per home game, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The NBA is in a planning-based holding pattern. Throughout the week they’ve had conference calls with various parts of the 30 teams’ decision-making apparatuses. Wednesday is a conference call with all 30 owners, and without a doubt, bottom lines will be affected.

Thursday will involve a conference call for team presidents and general managers, and we may see some policies enacted upon that were decided earlier in the week.

The longer things develop as time goes on, the more things are taken out of the direct control of the NBA and its teams, much like the case with the Golden State Warriors. The governor of Ohio has already requested that sports teams bar spectators. While this doesn’t directly affect NBA teams at this point, the governor of Washington has restricted gatherings to 250 people or fewer, and this is a trend that is more likely to spread from state to state and major city to major city than not.

The NBA may have very little say in how things proceed over the coming days and weeks as states and cities heed the wisdom of public health officials. Regardless of how the league’s teams want to handle things, it appears as though precedent has been set and may spread as well.

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For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website or the website for your state’s Department of Health.