US sports scramble back to normal after FAA ground stop upends team travel

Major sporting events returned to normal on Saturday after the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights nationwide for several hours, disrupting travel for professional and college teams. College football teams traveling the day before their games faced delays, with games pushed back three hours for Utah vs. Arizona.

Arizona State's game against Central Florida was also delayed. Auburn opted for charter buses to ensure players arrived on time. The No. 19 Mississippi game against Oklahoma will now clash with an NFL match, kicking off at 1 p.m. EST on Sunday.

JuJu Watkins and her Southern California teammates were boarding their flight to face South Carolina when the ground stop was issued. The Trojans women's basketball team stayed in Los Angeles, while their departure to Greenville was delayed until Saturday afternoon. Fairleigh Dickinson women's basketball coach Stephanie Gaitley had her team's flight to Ohio State canceled, opting for a 10-hour bus ride the next morning.

In women's soccer, Utah Royals were in Washington, D.C., for their semifinal, while Kansas City Current were supposed to depart for New York. The Current is collaborating with stakeholders to identify safe arrival plans for their semifinal against Gotham FC on Sunday. NHL games, except for the San Jose Sharks, were mostly unaffected.

The NBA saw minimal disruption, with Cleveland Cavaliers facing a challenging travel schedule, starting their game against the Mavericks at 8:54 a.m. on a plane. The Cavaliers' coach, Kenny Atkinson, said they had to adapt and play the game.

The NFL, with its Sunday schedule, benefited from the flight stoppage, while the NBA made arrangements for referees. Brian Forte and Jenna Schroeder replaced officiating crews for the Chicago-Minnesota and Dallas-Cleveland games, respectively. Two other referees were added for the Denver-New Orleans game.