It has been a bizarre past four days in the sports world.
Many sports writers across the country have not covered a game during that span because of coronavirus concerns.
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Me? I have been covering state basketball each of the past three days. And for three days, I have been covering high school state basketball games in front of mostly empty arenas.
On Thursday, the Missouri State High School Activities Association announced each school would be allotted 150 tickets for each of the Class 1-3 Final Four games. Later that day, it announced just 60 people from each school could attend the Class 4 and 5 quarterfinal games, a number that included players and coaches.
But the basketball games were played.
When a majority of the country's sports leagues began postponing and canceling games as early as Wednesday, MSHSAA was put in a lose-lose-lose situation:
Play the basketball games without attendance restrictions, and people begin to wonder why Missouri thinks it's special when professional and college leagues are erring on the side of caution.
Play the basketball games with limited attendance, and many of the fans who have followed their teams all season long are frustrated because they have to watch online from afar, or receive their updates via text message or social media.
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Cancel the state tournament all together, something many states across the country have done, and players have their great seasons end in an unsettling fashion, with many seniors losing the opportunity to play the final games of their careers.
There was no one solution that was going to please everyone, but MSHSAA went with option B.
When I went to bed Wednesday night, I had no idea what I was going to do when I woke up the next day. Yes, I had applied for credentials to cover the Class 1-3 Final Four in Springfield, but I also realized I could have received an email in the morning from MSHSAA notifying us the state tournament had been postponed, or perhaps even canceled, and I would be staying put in Jefferson City.
Selfishly, I wanted the basketball games to go on as planned. I enjoy covering basketball games. It's why I'm in this business.
But I also understand we have a health crisis in this country. On Friday, the president and the governor both declared a state of emergency. If MSHSAA decided calling off games was in the best interest of everyone's health and safety, then I accept that decision.
As of now, the Class 4 and 5 basketball Final Four will go on as planned in Springfield. As of now, high school spring sports will go on as planned in Missouri.
But as MSHSAA communications director Jason West told me, "It's day by day. This is such a fluid situation."
Maybe this is one thing on which we all can agree. Sports are important, but everyone's health and safety should be the highest priority concern here.