ESPN has announced that they have cancelled plans to hold several men’s college basketball tournaments at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Walt Disney World.
- ESPN had planned to host eight of its 10 men’s college basketball events in Walt Disney World.
- Those eight tournaments included:
- The Champions Classic
- Charleston Classic
- Myrtle Beach Invitational
- NIT Season Tip-Off
- Wooden Legacy
- Orlando Invitational
- Jimmy V Classic
- Diamond Head Classic
- The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex successfully played host to the NBA when they restarted their season this summer.
- ESPN cited challenges around testing protocols as their primary reason for cancelling their events.
- The challenges in question refer to re-testing players who had already previously tested positive for coronavirus and been cleared.
- Protocols for a player testing positive while in the Orlando bubble were also a key discussion post.
- The bubble for these tournaments was expected to run from November 25 into early December, with the Champions Classic and Jimmy V Classic headlining.
- There is still hope for those two tournaments to move another location for this season, while the other six are expected to simply resume in 2021.
- Some of the marquee games featured in the Champions Classic include:
- Michigan State vs. Duke
- Kansas vs. Kentucky
- The Jimmy V Classic was planned to feature:
- Baylor vs. Illinois
- Gonzaga vs. Tennessee
What they’re saying:
- Statement from ESPN: “ESPN Events set out to create a protected environment for teams to participate in early-season events in Orlando. Based on certain challenges surrounding testing protocols, we opted to resume these tournaments during the 2021-22 season.”