James Dolan, the executive chairman of Madison Square Garden Company and owner of the New York Knicks, has tested positive for the coronavirus.

The Knicks announced Dolan’s diagnosis Saturday night. It is not clear when he was tested or when he received the diagnosis.

Dolan is the first U.S. major pro sports owner known to have tested positive for the virus. He also owns the NHL’s New York Rangers, along with other venues like Radio City Music Hall, The Hulu Theatre and The Chicago Theatre.

“The Madison Square Garden Company Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jim Dolan has tested positive for coronavirus,” the Knicks’ statement said. “He has been in self-isolation and is experiencing little to no symptoms. He continues to oversee business operations.”

New York has been the hotspot for the pandemic in the U.S.

All 50 U.S. states have reported some cases of the virus that causes COVID-19, but New York has the most, with over 52,000 positive tests for the illness and more than 700 deaths. About 7,300 people were in New York hospitals Saturday, including about 1,800 in intensive care.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, which can include fever and cough but also milder cases of pneumonia, sometimes requiring hospitalization. The risk of death is greater for older adults and people with other health problems.

Dolan is one of the most polarizing sports figures in New York. Earlier this month, Oscar-winning writer-director Spike Lee — one of the Knicks’ best-known fans — criticized Dolan after getting into a disagreement with MSG personnel about which entrance to the arena he could use. Dolan has also publicly clashed in recent years with former Knicks forward Charles Oakley, and frustrated fans chanted “sell the team” at some games this season.

The NBA has been shut down since March 11, the night that Utah center Rudy Gobert became the first player in the league to have a positive diagnosis for the virus revealed. The Knicks played host to Utah — which later had Gobert and Donovan Mitchell test positive — on March 4 and played host to Detroit on March 8. Pistons center Christian Wood also later tested positive for the virus.

Gobert, Mitchell and Wood have all since recovered.

The 64-year-old Dolan also serves as executive chairman of MSG Networks, and has been chairman of the Garden and owner of the Knicks since 1999.

HORSE RACING: The final deadline to nominate horses for the Triple Crown series is being extended indefinitely because of the coronavirus.
It was scheduled to be Monday.

The extension was agreed upon by officials at Churchill Downs, Maryland Jockey Club and New York Racing Association.

The Kentucky Derby has been pushed from May 2 to Sept. 5.

Maryland and New York racing officials are continuing discussions to decide when the Preakness and Belmont will be run. The Preakness is scheduled for May 16 and the Belmont for June 6.

When the Triple Crown dates are settled, a deadline for late nominations will be announced.

VISA HAS told its global roster of Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls their sponsorships will be extended into 2021 after the Tokyo Games were postponed, providing some financial certainty amid the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The credit card giant’s Team Visa features 96 athletes across 27 sports, including soccer star Megan Rapinoe, gymnast Simone Biles – a quadruple gold medalist at the Rio de Janeiro Games – and two-time defending 800-meter Olympic champion David Rudisha.

The athletes were contacted on Friday to be given the option of extending their sponsorship terms with Visa. It is the first clear commitment by a major sponsor to extend such sponsorship support after the unprecedented delay to the Olympics by a year was announced last week by the IOC.

BASEBALL: Two Chicago Cubs employees who attended an annual training session at Wrigley Field on March 8 have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.

One was hospitalized and the other was recovering at home, spokesman Julian Green said Sunday.

Green also said there was “nothing definitive” indicating the session “contributed to exposure” since the test results weren’t received until March 23 and 24.

But “out of an abundance of caution, transparency and responsibility,” the Cubs informed staff in an email on Friday.

“We know many of these associates know each other, spend time together and speak frequently so we want everyone to take the necessary precautions and follow CDC guidance even though we’re not together and playing baseball,” Green said.

The Chicago Sun-Times first reported the positive results.

The Cubs said in the email to staff they “reached out to both associates to offer our support.” They also urged employees to monitor their health closely and follow guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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