Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert was announced to have preliminary-tested positive for COVID-19. This led to an official announcement from the NBA that the season would be suspended until further notice.

Naturally, that makes us basketball fans panic, because we rely on the NBA as a source of entertainment, but we’ve got to realize that the decision can’t have come easy to Adam Silver and the rest of the league front office.

They are, after all, a business worth billions of dollars, and they can’t generate revenue if games are not being played.

I think what they’re doing is commendable, though. They did try to keep games going, but having a positive test on a player is a clear signal that something needs to be done.

They’re not the only league to be affected, either. Serie A, Italy’s football league, has also been suspended. At least one game in the English Premier League has also been postponed due to the virus. The Tokyo Olympics are also under threat for cancellation or postponement, as is the EURO 2020 tournament.

It really sucks that we’ll be missing out on NBA games, and we don’t currently know for how long. But we’ve got to think bigger than basketball, and the safety of its employees and the public is what’s led to this decision. According to Statista, NBA games have an average attendance of 17,587 people per game – and airconditioned arenas are a prime place for COVID-19 to spread.

I think this whole thing is terrible, but social responsibility must come first. For that, I’ve got to commend the NBA and the other leagues around the world.

I also hope that the people on the fringes, like arena staff, don’t get hit too hard by this. Hopefully they’ll receive some sort of compensation from the league.

All of us in Asia were the first to see the spread of COVID-19, and we understand its danger. Now the US and Europe are being forced to take it more seriously. While I hope the NBA re-starts the season relatively soon, I am more invested in them ensuring a proper protocol for player, fan, and staff safety.

Until then, let’s all just band together and hope for the best for Rudy Gobert and anyone else that has been affected.