The COVID-19 outbreak has suspended the NBA and NHL seasons, delayed the MLB season, caused hundreds of major sporting events to be postponed, shut down various training facilities, turned stadiums into test sites and so much more throughout the world of sports. But while the bulk of media attention has been devoted to reports of how various aspects of the professional sports atmosphere are at a complete standstill, the ability for everyday people to play sports throughout this stressful time has not been highlighted to the same extent. Drastic measures are being taken to prevent physical contact through sports, thus promoting social distancing, and some of the latest acts taken by state and municipal governments show just how seriously they’re taking this crisis. Philadelphia On Tuesday, Philadelphia joined a growing list of major cities that have taken measures to prevent games of pick-up basketball from occurring. Pick-up basketball requires several people, often strangers, to make physical contact frequently, which seems like a glaringly obvious interaction to avoid at this time. Still, it hasn’t stopped some from using basketball as an escape from the stay-at-home reality that has overtaken the country. According to Michael Tanenbaum of Philly Voice, Philadelphia park officials are literally taking the rims right off of the backboards in hotspot areas, thus making the game practically impossible to play. The city’s health commissioner, Thomas Farley, noted that anyone who was taking part in these impromptu games were putting “friends”, “families” and “themselves” at major risk. New York City New York City had already been a part of this movement, taking down rims all across the city. Several of the courts are widely renowned for hosting NBA-level talent in famous pickup games, such as Rucker Park in Brooklyn. Mayor de Blasio elected to remove the hoops there and at 79 other courts throughout the Big Apple in the effort to fight against the spread of coronavirus. In a press conference, de Blasio added that they would take down tennis and soccer nets if social distancing continued to be a failed strategy at certain locations. Dean Playground in Brooklyn, New York Photo credit Xinhua - SIPA Usa The full list is available on the city’s Parks and Recreation website. According to the site, the list of courts was selected based on the fact that they are “locations where repeated attempts at social distancing have not been successful.” The total number of hoops removed in New York, when considered altogether, comes to a staggering amount. New York has removed over 1,700 basketball rims across the city due to COVID-19. Other cities such as Baltimore, Philadelphia, Charlotte, and Memphis are starting to do so as well, according to @ABC.— Jack Duffy (@JackDuffyTPL) March 29, 2020 Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot issued an executive order that, among other restrictions, completely prohibits any contact sports like basketball and football. My friend and UIC great Kenny Williams just posted this picture on his Facebook page. Playground rims are getting this treatment all over Chicago. pic.twitter.com/gOrI3XhTI5— Sam Panayotovich (@spshoot) March 28, 2020 Boston Boston's Parks and Rec department lists several sports that are prohibited and have placed zip ties over various hoops to make them unusable. It’s ok to kick a ball around with members of your immediate family. But please, no group sports where you will come into contact with others. #PhysicalDistancing #StayHomeSaveLives 🚫pickup 🏀🚫 team ⚽️ 🚫 🎾 matches🚫 street 🏒 🚫 pickleballhttps://t.co/f8E719rZnI— Boston Parks and Recreation Department (@BostonParksDept) March 29, 2020 New Orleans One of the cities hit hardest by the coronavirus, due in part to the timing with Mardi Gras, was also one of the earliest to close down public areas like basketball courts. 🚨#Attention, starting Monday, March 23, 2020, NORD outdoor/covered basketball courts, playgrounds and tennis courts are closed until further notice. This step was necessary as a safety measure in response to #COVID19 #Coronavirus. @nordcommission • @nolaready pic.twitter.com/xDweUl1g3i— The City Of New Orleans (@CityOfNOLA) March 23, 2020 Washington, D.C. The nation's capital, like other cities taking part in this strategy, at first attempted to just discourage the use of public spaces. They did in fact "close" them earlier in March. All DPR facilities, playgrounds + gated facilities are CLOSED and scheduled to reopen on Mon, April 27.Dog parks, skate parks, trails and open green spaces remain open during normal hours.During this time, practice social distancing, and as much as possible ... #StayHomeDC pic.twitter.com/HMErx0QYJI— DC Parks &Recreation #StayHomeDC (@DCDPR) March 24, 2020However, after that didn't work, Washington, D.C. Parks and Rec also decided to remove basketball hoops in "high-traffic" locations (via American University Radio). Baltimore Baltimore is another one of the major locations in which tennis courts have taken down nets along with the removal of basketball hoops. Baltimore City Rec and Parks has removed rims from basketball courts and taken down the nets at tennis courts to prevent groups of 10 or more from gathering. Trails, parks, and other public spaces remain open, with the reminder to stay 6 feet apart #SocialDistancing @wmar2news pic.twitter.com/igF79mNLij— Mark Roper (@MarkRoperTV) March 30, 2020 St. Louis Along with basketball courts, all city playgrounds, roller rinks, and tennis, racquetball, handball, and pickle ball courts are also closed to the public until at least April 22 (via Sam Masterson of KMOX). A St. Louis basketball court is locked up due to coronavirus concerns. Photo credit Jeff Curry - USA Today Here are more pictures of the measures taken across the nation to prevent public games of basketball from occurring. Cleveland/Wickliffe Wickliffe's Orlando Park Photo credit Nate Barnes | The News-Herald Los Angeles Basketball courts on the Venice Beach Boardwalk. Photo credit Gary A. Vasquez | USA TODAY Louisville JCPS Crew Member Tyrone Fields takes down a basketball hoop at St. Matthews Elementary School. Photo credit Alton Strupp/Courier Journal, Louisville Courier Journal | USA Today LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM AppFollow RADIO.COM SportsTwitter | Facebook I Instagram

Sports fans are about to have a brand new piece of entertainment sooner than expected in their stay-at-home arsenal during the coronavirus quarantine. That's because ESPN announced Tuesday morning that its highly awaited docuseries on Michael Jordan, "The Last Dance", will now be released two months earlier than was initially planned thanks to the pleas throughout the world of basketball fans. The official release date is April 19, and the first part will air at 9 p.m. ET. "We've heard the calls from fans asking us to move up the release date for this series, and we're happy to announce that we've been able to accelerate the production schedule to do just that," ESPN said in a statement. The series will consist of 10 parts and will be 20 hours long, taking bits and pieces of over 500 hours of footage to put together the ultimate homage to Michael Jordan and his final season with the Bulls in 1997-98. The trailer, though only a minute long, reveals some shots that help to demonstrate what will make the series so exciting. It shows Jordan's interactions with teammates and fellow stars (Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant, notably) while also including snippets of interviews from non-sports figures that showcase the impact that he made throughout the nation and the world. Who doesn't love a Jerry Seinfeld cameo? Perhaps most intriguing was a small clip of Jordan laying on the floor of the locker room in either pure ecstasy, or disappointment, or some other emotion that gives a glimpse into the many never-before-seen shots of action that took place off the court. Watch the full trailer below. You spoke, we listened. "The Last Dance"April 19 | 9 p.m. ET | ESPNA 10-part documentary series chronicling Michael Jordan & the @chicagobulls' quest for a sixth #NBA ChampionshipMore: https://t.co/aVDRjHNKZipic.twitter.com/w9vBzKq8ku— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) March 31, 2020In the season covered by the docuseries, Jordan and the Bulls went 62-20, coasted through the early rounds of the playoffs and faced off with the Pacers and Jazz in two epic series to cap off a magical run. Jordan led the league in scoring with 28.7 points per game, capturing the last of his 10 scoring titles along with his fifth and final MVP award. An act like this goes to show that media figures understand the benefit of having sports to watch as encouragement to stay home and stay safe during this national and universal health crisis. In a similar fashion, the NBA and other sports leagues have granted access to their streaming services for free, enabling fans to watch thousands of games that they otherwise would have needed to pay for. LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM AppFollow RADIO.COM SportsTwitter | Facebook I Instagram

The biggest story that was expected to come out of the Nationals' and Astros' shared Spring Training home was supposed to be how the tension mounted between the two teams amid the raging cheating scandal that flipped MLB on its side. Now, a much more important story line is causing the ballpark to be a part of not only sports news but general news as a whole. The FITTEAM Ballpark of The Palm Beaches, the stadium complex used for both teams' Spring Training games, will be used as a drive-through COVID-19 testing center, a decision that was confirmed by Nationals' GM Mike Rizzo on Monday. 🚨🚨BREAKING🚨🚨#Nationals Spring Training facility in West Palm beach FL will be used as a #Coronavirus testing site according to #Nats GM Mike Rizzo. @wusa9 @WUSA9sports #Natitude pic.twitter.com/yja54VZVFP— Darren M. Haynes (@DarrenMHaynes) March 30, 2020The massive 160-acre complex will be able to test up to 250 people each day, according to WPBF News. While baseball is delayed indefinitely, the usage of this complex will allow results to be uncovered much more efficiently and put the large space to use during the nation-wide baseball hiatus. Another Washington team, the Redskins, has taken a similar action with their home stadium. Fortunately, there have not been any known Nationals or Astros players to test positive for the illness. Nationals GM Mike Rizzo mentioned that no players have even demonstrated any symptoms of the virus and as a result no one within the organization has been tested (via NBC Sports Washington). The Yankees have announced a pair of Minor League players that tested positive for the virus and the Cubs announced that some employees had as well, but relative to other leagues like the NBA, baseball has been relatively untouched by the rapidly spreading illness. Retired star Jim Edmonds shared a video of his condition after a positive coronavirus test, as well. While a return date for baseball has not yet been established, there are several different ideas being proposed for how the league should handle the situation. Already, the league and the MLB Player's Association have come to an agreement about how certain terms should be handled if the season is canceled altogether. For now, it's all speculation. But seeing as how important baseball facilities are now being used as testing centers, a long postponement could be what baseball fans will ultimately have to face. LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM AppFollow RADIO.COM SportsTwitter | Facebook I Instagram

Marcus Smart revealed on Sunday night that he is now “Corona Free.” The lone Celtics played diagnosed with COVID-19 was cleared of the illness by the Massachusetts Department fo Health. In his tweet, Smart said he has been free of the illness since Friday. “Thanks for everyone’s thoughts and prayers, and I’m doing the same for everyone that’s been effected by this,” Smart wrote. “Stay safe and stay together- apart! Much love! Corona Free as of two days ago. Cleared by Mass Dept of Health. Thanks for everyone’s thoughts and prayers and I’m doing the same for everyone that’s been effected by this. Stay safe and stay together- apart! Much love!— marcus smart (@smart_MS3) March 30, 2020LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM AppFollow RADIO.COM SportsTwitter | Facebook I Instagram