The WNBA announced Friday morning that the start of 2020 season will be postponed to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“At the direction of the WNBA and in accordance with public health guidelines, the start of the 2020 Mystics season will be postponed to maintain the safety of our fans, players, and staff,” said General Manager/Head Coach Mike Thibault.
“We will get through this difficult time together and look forward to seeing our fans and defending our championship as soon as safely possible. In the meantime, we will continue to find other ways to stay connected as we encourage everyone to stay home and be safe.”
We have already seen sports shut down around the world and upcoming events such as The Olympics postponed to 2021. It is by no surprise that training camps and the start of the WNBA season are not going to happen in May.
With numbers continuing to increase in the United States, it is unsure the timeline for when the league and all sports will return. Fortunately, as of now, the league has stressed that games will be rescheduled, but not canceled.
It has been an exciting offseason in the WNBA as we have seen the release of the 2020 CBA announcing much needed financial and work changes as well as some free agency moves across the league, the excitement was undoubtedly building to see teams return to the court however due to COVID-19, we are going to have to wait a little longer to see our favorite teams take the court.
Any tickets that have already been purchased for a Washington Mystics postponed game will be honored when the game is rescheduled. The Mystics and Monumental Sports & Entertainment stated they will continue to monitor the situation and communicate with fans regarding any updated.
Until then, we will have to continue to watch our favorite Washington Mystics on social media on tik tok, competing in the NBA 2K contests, and their behind the scenes fun.
In the meantime, everyone please continue to be safe and follow the Stay at Home orders so we can slow down the spread of the Coronavirus.
Renee is a reporter and analyst with ESPN covering college athletics. She also hosts a daily show called "Locked on Wizards" with the Locked on Podcast network.