NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The first case of the omicron variant was found in Nashville last week and now sports teams in Tennessee are having to change and even cancel their plans again because of a rise in cases.
College basketball Fans were hoping to attend the Tennessee versus Memphis game Saturday, but just an hour before tip off they were told to go home due to COVID-19 issues with the Tigers.
Fans will get full refunds for their tickets, but plenty of people were still upset about the short notice.
"I don't know what the NCAA protocols are to test these guys. I know they have to tested left and right to play in these games, so it's kind of shocking that they just found out a couple of hours before the game, and then let everyone know an hour before the game," Vols fan Foster Hedden said.
Tennessee did hold a scrimmage for fans to watch. As of now, the game will not be rescheduled.
The NHL is also seeing an outbreak forcing nearly a third of the league to pause their campaigns. In Smashville, the Predators have had eight players and several staff members test positive over the past week.
They are now the fifth NHL team temporarily shut down due to COVID.
"This presents a big challenge to everyone and it's not just limited to sports environment. It affects the entire community," said Dr. William Schaffner with Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
The Predators will miss their next three games before returning to action Dec. 27 in Dallas.
