Times of Crisis
How sports events were affected:
Date/Year: 1916
Occurrence: World War I
Response: Berlin Olympic Games canceled.
*
Date/Year: 1918
Occurrence: World War I
Response: Major league baseball season ends Sept. 2 by order of War Department.
*
Date/Year: 1919
Occurrence: Flu epidemic
Response: Stanley Cup series between Montreal and Seattle canceled.
*
Date/Year: Aug. 2, 1923
Occurrence: President Warren G. Harding dies
Response: Major league baseball cancels one day of regular-season play.
*
Date/Year: 1940
Occurrence: World War II
Response: Tokyo, Helsinki Olympics canceled.
*
Date/Year: Dec. 7, 1941
Occurrence: Pearl Harbor bombing
Response: No NFL games canceled. Rose Bowl game for Jan. 1, 1942, relocated from Pasadena to Durham, N.C. East-West All-Star game for Jan. 3, 1942, relocated from San Francisco to New Orleans.
*
Date/Year: 1944
Occurrence: World War II
Response: London Olympic Games canceled.
*
Date/Year: June 6, 1944
Occurrence: D-Day
Response: Major league baseball cancels one day of regular-season play.
*
Date/Year: April 12, 1945
Occurrence: President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies
Response: Major league baseball cancels exhibition games two days later.
*
Date/Year: 1945
Occurrence: World War II
Response: Major league baseball All-Star game canceled due to travel restrictions.
*
Date/Year: Feb. 6, 1952
Occurrence: King George VI dies
Response: Game postponed between New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs.
*
Date/Year: Nov. 22, 1963
Occurrence: President John F. Kennedy assassinated
Response: NFL continues with scheduled games. Army-Navy game and AFL games postponed.
*
Date/Year: April 5, 1968
Occurrence: Martin Luther King assassinated
Response: Washington Senators postpone
AL opener five days later.
*
Date/Year: Sept. 5, 1972
Occurrence: Palestinian terrorists kill 11 Israeli athletes
Response: Munich Olympic Games suspended 34 hours
*
Date/Year: March 31, 1981
Occurrence: President Reagan assassination attempt
Response: NCAA basketball championship game between North Carolina and Indiana continues as scheduled.
*
Date/Year: Oct. 17, 1989
Occurrence: San Francisco Loma Prieta earthquake
Response: World Series suspended until Oct. 27.
*
Date/Year: Jan. 27, 1991
Occurrence: Gulf War
Response: Super Bowl XXV between New York Giants and Buffalo Bills is played amid heavy security.
*
Date/Year: April 30, 1992
Occurrence: Los Angeles riots
Response: NBA playoff series between Clippers and Utah postponed and relocated to Anaheim. Laker-Portland series postponed and relocated to Las Vegas. Dodgers postpone four games. USC-UCLA track meet postponed. Hollywood Park and Los Alamitos cancel racing.
*
Date/Year: Jan. 17, 1994
Occurrence: Northridge earthquake
Response: Lakers, Clippers and USC basketball team postpone games.
*
Date/Year: July 27, 1996
Occurrence: Atlanta bombing
Response: Olympics continue as scheduled.
*
Date/Year: Aug. 30, 1997
Occurrence: Princess Diana dies
Response: Weekend’s Premier League soccer schedule postponed.
*
Date/Year: April 20, 1999
Occurrence: Columbine shooting
Response: Colorado Avalanche postpones two playoff games. Colorado Rockies postpone two games. Denver Nuggets postpone one game.
*
Date/Year: Sept. 11, 2001
Occurrence: Terrorist attacks on World Trade Center and Pentagon
Response: Major league baseball postpones day’s schedule. UCLA and other major colleges postpone weekend football games.
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
