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The coronavirus' spread from East Asia to North America has caused cities and states in the United States to begin closing public events to prevent further contagion of the virus between individuals. For the NBA, that could mean nearly empty arenas while the league keeps games in the regular season operational.
With the NBA, along with other major league sports, gearing up to continue games without fans permitted entry, those fans are wondering about already purchased tickets—can they get refunds?
According to Mirjam Swanson in the Orange County Register, StubHub, among other secondary market tickets, could start offering refunds for ticket purchases affected by the coronavirus.
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In StubHub’s case, a fan who bought tickets to a canceled event can receive either a full refund or a coupon, to be used within 12 months, for 120 percent of the original purchase, according to the email sent to customers.
Conversely, SeatGeek indicated that in the case someone sold tickets to an event that is canceled due to the coronavirus: “Your sale will be canceled and you will not receive a payout.”
The NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL, and MLS all enacted limitations to media proximity to players, coaches, and officials in their respective leagues this week in an effort to shut down close contact with the individuals and prevent the spread of coronavirus. Other leagues, like the NCAA's Ivy League, canceled the men's basketball tournament, instead crowning Yale as the conference champion.
While coronavirus is affecting the health and wellbeing of folks, the sports world is impacted due to the many large events in arenas and stadiums. For the NBA, the possibility of closing games to the public is getting very real.
