A potential basketball showdown between Louisville and UConn, two nationally ranked women's college basketball teams, is now in jeopardy due to the ongoing government shutdown. This highly anticipated clash, scheduled for November 4th at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany, is now at risk of cancellation.
The government shutdown has impacted the military personnel's paychecks and led to the scaling back of many facilities, including the Ramstein Air Base. The base's website states that civilian employees not involved in essential activities will be placed on unpaid leave, and the American Legion reports that several offices and programs are either closed or offering limited services.
ESPN Events, the organizer of the game, is part of the Peraton Armed Forces Classic, which has a history of hosting college basketball games at various U.S. military venues worldwide since 2012. However, an ESPN spokesperson has stated that they are exploring contingency plans due to the current circumstances.
While Louisville's women's basketball spokesperson maintains that the game is still scheduled as planned, UConn's spokesperson has declined to comment. Requests for comment from the Ramstein Air Base have not yet been responded to.
Sources close to the situation indicate that all parties involved are set to meet next week to discuss potential options. Louisville coach Jeff Walz publicly expressed concerns about the game's viability earlier this week during the program's tip-off luncheon.
"Our first game, hopefully, will be on the Air Force base if we open back up," Walz said. "We're closed right now, our country."
Should the shutdown continue, there are possibilities to move the game to either Louisville or UConn's campus sites or keep it as a neutral site game by relocating it to an available arena.
The government shutdown, now in its 15th day, began on October 1st when the Senate failed to pass a GOP bill from the House to maintain existing government funding through November 21st. Democratic senators are demanding changes to health care policies, specifically regarding extending subsidies for the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, which President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers have refused to consider. The bill passed by the House did not include an extension of the health care tax credits, which are used by over 24 million people to purchase health plans through the ACA marketplaces.
News outlets like the Associated Press, USA Today, and CBS have described the shutdown as having "no end in sight" as politicians blame each other. NPR reported that "Republicans and Democrats appear no closer to an agreement" after the Senate's failed attempt on Wednesday, marking the ninth time they've failed to advance a bill to reopen the government.
This isn't the first lengthy government shutdown during Trump's presidency. The last one occurred during his first term and lasted a record-breaking 35 days, beginning in December 2018. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson warned earlier this week that this shutdown could become "one of the longest in American history."
If the shutdown persists until the scheduled date of the Louisville versus UConn game, it will have matched the duration of the previous record.
Should the shutdown end soon, and the game proceeds as planned, it will mark the third time the Ramstein Air Base has hosted the Armed Forces Classic and the first time it has hosted a women's college basketball game. UConn holds a 20-3 all-time record against Louisville, with two of the last three regular-season meetings taking place on neutral courts.
