Now here’s a first. We’re used to hearing about forfeits in Little League Sports, never on the professional level. At least until now.
BREAKING: The WNBA has ruled that @LVAces will forfeit their game against Washington that was canceled Friday night when the Aces players decided not to play because of concerns about their health and safety after 26 hours of travel.https://t.co/ObQ5MYTLSp
— ESPN Women’s Hoops (@ESPN_WomenHoop) August 7, 2018
The WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces showdown with the Washington Mystics originally scheduled for last Friday was cancelled when the Aces chose not to play the game because of travel woes.
The League announced Tuesday that the Aces, who arrived in D.C. mid-afternoon for their 8 p.m. tip but chose not to play, must forfeit the game. The Aces cited health concerns for their decision to no-show due to travel delays and issued the following statement with details on their travel snags.
.@LVAces players released a statement via the @TheWNBPA on tonight’s cancellation against the Mystics. No word on whether or not the WNBA will consider tonight’s game an Aces’ forfeit. pic.twitter.com/PEC748aj6x
— The W Podcast (@theWpodcast_) August 4, 2018
The Friday cancellation between the Aces and Mystics was the first in WNBA history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
WNBA president Lisa Borders explained the league’s line of thinking to force the Aces to forfeit, telling ESPN they made accommodations for the travels but, ultimately, Las Vegas chose not to show up.
“In the end, given the limited number of days remaining in the season and arena availability, we decided to delay the start of the game until 8 p.m. to give the Aces as much time as possible between arrival in Washington, D.C. and tipoff.”Borders said.
The story behind the WNBA’s decision to declare a game a forfeit 4 days after its cancellation https://t.co/fzPhJuQFQ4 via @forthewin
— WBBDaily (@WBBDaily) August 7, 2018
“While not ideal, it was the best available solution to accommodate both our fans and the scheduling challenges. Since the Aces chose not to play, the result is a forfeit.”
The Aces, 12-15, are just outside the playoff picture with two weeks left in the WNBA season.
www.cbssports.com
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