Two years ago this week, the reality of the pandemic arrived in Kansas City subtly enough with the strange "what if?" sorts of concerns, such as whether we should still shake hands with people. And what about time-honored media access to take you where you don't get to go? And could it actually come to, gosh, might they have to play Big 12 (and NCAA) Tournament games without fans in the stands?
Days later came the abrupt and startling upheaval of everything as we knew it. The sports world both symbolized that and led the way with massive shutdowns that pivotally ramped up safety protocols.
But having the NCAA Tournament canceled still as a prime indicator of a world off its axis, as Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby amplified at the time: When he was serving on the NCAA's Division I Men's Basketball Committee in 2003, the Department of Defense was in contact with the committee to encourage it to play on during the shock and awe bombing in Iraq.
