Pro and college sports teams impacted by FAA ground stop
Friday’s nationwide air travel “ground stop,” which halted domestic flights for several hours, was finally lifted. But the ramifications are still being felt for families, travelers, and teams in the sporting world. With domestic departures stopped for more than four hours before a busy slate of college football games, as well as NBA and NHL […]
The FAA implemented a nationwide ground stop on Friday, halting domestic flights for several hours due to a communications failure at regional air traffic control centers. This disruption affected many college sports teams and pro athletes as they prepared for games that same day. Missouri's football team to Georgia, Duke to Miami, and Texas Tech to Oklahoma State all reached their destinations safely despite the delay.
However, Auburn had to travel by bus to Mississippi State, with its game pushed back to 4:15 p.m. Other Big 12 teams saw their kickoffs adjusted, and Arizona State's game against UCF was rescheduled for Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
NFL teams were expected to play on Saturday as planned, but the league adjusted officiating assignments for Week 10 games to accommodate the delay. Three backup referees were also reassigned. NBA games also faced challenges, with five games scheduled for Saturday. The Brooklyn Nets played in Miami on Friday and are now set to fly home on Saturday morning.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, who lost to the Dallas Mavericks on Friday, will fly back on Saturday due to travel delays. Kansas City's Current soccer team, scheduled to play in New York on Sunday, is still uncertain as they could not fly out as planned due to the ground stop.
Written by urgent.news from SB Nation's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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