Photo/Illutration Colored sheets of paper spell out “Victory over corona!” at Funabashi Arena, where the March 14 game between the Chiba Jets and Utsunomiya Brex was played without fans. (Shiro Nishihata)

Japan’s B.League resumed basketball games on March 14 without fans in the stands, but fears of novel coronavirus infections still affected play on the court.

The game in Kawasaki between the Kawasaki Brave Thunders and Levanga Hokkaido was postponed 10 minutes before tip-off because three Hokkaido players had slight fevers in the morning.

Although there was no confirmation that the players were infected with the coronavirus, the game was called off to protect other players from possible infections.

Three foreign players on the Shiga Lakestars team asked to be excused from their game against Alvark Tokyo because they were worried about becoming infected. Their uniforms were placed on the backs of the seats on the bench for the game.

Team President Daisuke Nishimura expressed sympathy for the absent players.

“Thinking about risk differs for each person,” he said. “As we manage the team under the concept of diversity, I think it is important to understand the various views that may be held.”

The B.League on Feb. 26 decided to suspend a total of 99 B1 and B2 league games as a measure to prevent the spread of the virus.

Play resumed in the two divisions on March 14, days after the NBA suspended its season and the U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association called off the March Madness tournaments for men and women.

The B.League took special precautions for players who did suit up, including measuring their temperatures and disinfecting their hands and fingers when entering the game.

Some teams sent messages to their fans, including the Chiba Jets, which has had the top attendance among all B.League teams since the league’s formation in 2016.

The Funabashi Arena normally attracts about 5,000 fans to the team’s home games, including those in the standing room section.

But in the empty arena on March 14, team officials used sheets of paper in the team colors of red and white to create katakana characters that read, “Victory over corona!”

“We didn’t want our fans to become despondent and wanted to send out a message that would put them in a more forward-looking mood,” a Jets official said.

The Funabashi city government approved the use of the arena on grounds that no fans were allowed in. Only about 20 workers, about one-fifth the normal number, were used to manage the game.

But the music, announcements and cheerleading continued as usual because all league games played without fans are being streamed live for free on the internet.

Utsunomiya Brex defeated the Jets 88-80.

“It felt weird to play without the usual cheering, but I was able to produce what I had been preparing for over the last month,” said Brex guard Yusuke Endo, who led all scorers with 26 points.

In another precautionary measure, the players of the two teams did not shake hands after the game.

Yuki Togashi of the Chiba Jets said it was still too early for all the players to feel they want to play without worry, given the suspension of the NBA season and the cancellation of the NCAA tournaments.

“I pray that we can return to our normal lives as soon as possible,” Togashi said.

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