Ivy League cancels basketball, all winter sports; delays spring sports due to pandemic

Once again, the Ivy League has jumped out ahead of its peers and made a difficult decision amid the worsening coronavirus pandemic. 

The conference confirmed on Thursday that winter sports for the 2020-21 season, including basketball, have been canceled because of the health crisis. Additionally, fall sports campaigns that were postponed back in July won't be held, and all spring sports are delayed through at least the end of February. 

The Ivy League was the first Division I conference to postpone fall sports in the summer and is now the first Division I league to scrap winter seasons, per Matt Norlander of CBS Sports. 

"Throughout the last nine months, we have asked our campus communities to make extraordinary adjustments in order to do our part in combating the global pandemic and to safeguard the health and wellbeing of our students, faculty members, staff and the communities in which they live and work," the Ivy League Council of Presidents said in a joint statement. 

"Regrettably, the current trends regarding transmission of the COVID-19 virus and subsequent protocols that must be put in place are impeding our strong desire to return to intercollegiate athletics competition in a safe manner. 

"Student-athletes, their families and coaches are again being asked to make enormous sacrifices for the good of public health — and we do not make this decision lightly. While these decisions come with great disappointment and frustration, our commitment to the safety and lasting health of our student-athletes and wider communities must remain our highest priority."

Winter and fall sport athletes won't lose a season of Ivy League or NCAA eligibility following Thursday's announcement.