NBA finally did the right thing by suspending play. Your turn, NHL.

It's equal parts unconscionable and scary, with straight lines drawn from there to arrogance and greed. That's what the NBA and NHL were prepared to do as Wednesday afternoon transitioned to Wednesday night, before Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. It took that development - a grave, dramatic development - for the NBA to suspend its season.

The NHL? For now, we wait. But why?

Both of those leagues had reams of information available Wednesday, by which point there were more than 1,000 confirmed coronavirus cases across the country, and decided the advice of government and health officials shouldn't apply to them. So they carried on with five hockey games and four basketball games Wednesday night. Before Gobert's test result became public - which prompted the postponement of Utah's game, and then the suspension of the season - the NBA owners seemed primed to punt a decision till Thursday, even in the wake of the preponderance of evidence. We'll make our own decisions on our own timeline, thanks. Hey, would you please cough into your arm?

That would be fine if, say, only the owners and their front-office advisers were exposing themselves to risk. Rather, the NHL owners are now looking their fans directly in the eye and saying, "Do you feel lucky today?" Capitals vs. Red Wings, Thursday night at Capital One Arena in Washington. Sound palatable? It's inconceivable that by puck drop fans will still be allowed in.

And yet, we wait. It's a fan's prerogative, sure. But an authority should lead here.

Shoot, even the NCAA - an organization that couldn't lead a hog to mud - reacted appropriately Wednesday afternoon, limiting fans at the upcoming men's and women's basketball tournaments. Watch the dominoes fall, NHL: The Big Ten and the ACC, among others, announced Wednesday that fans wouldn't be permitted to Thursday's conference tournament games. It's an acknowledgment that public health is more important than a raucous environment at, say, Indiana vs. Penn State. Is that too much to ask?

Sports is at the center of this problem because large gatherings present such a ripe opportunity for the virus to spread. Try social distancing in Section 204, Row M, Seats 13 and 14. It can't happen. It won't happen. Put one asymptomatic carrier of the virus in that environment, and who's to say how many walk out with it, bringing it to their homes, their grocery stores, their schools?

Lest anyone think this is some combination of hype and hysteria, let's listen to some of the information available to both the NBA and the NHL as they pushed forward with their schedules, before the NBA's decision to suspend the season.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, tweeted: "Every expert has told us that there is a risk in any kind of mass gathering - the closer you are to other people, the bigger the risk. You must ask yourself if going to a large gathering is necessary."

On Wednesday, the Columbus Blue Jackets, who play in the state's capital, said in a statement: "We have been in contact with the [NHL] and, given the facts before us, it has been determined that our scheduled games . . . will go on as scheduled and be open to ticketed fans that wish to attend."

Finally - finally! - the Blue Jackets bucked the league Wednesday night and said Thursday's game against Pittsburgh, among others, will be closed to fans. Maybe there's hope? Still, look around the country.

On Wednesday, as she declared a state of emergency for the nation's capital, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, said: "We're making it very clear that the science tells us that mass gatherings over 1,000 people doesn't help us reach our goal of flattening the curve and containing the spread of this virus."

A statement from Monumental Sports, which owns both the NHL's Capitals and NBA's Wizards, said in part: "At the current direction of the NBA and NHL, our games will go on as scheduled and be open to spectators. We are in constant contact with both leagues and should they update their guidance, we will update the public accordingly."

You know what that is, other than passing the buck? Where to start? It's willfully putting fans at increased risk for no reason, no reason at all. It's taking the advice of league officials over the advice - strong advice - of the people who govern the city in which you play and the health-care professionals who, in turn, advise them.

Furthermore, it's forgoing a chance to lead. Sure, it makes sense for franchises that make up a league to present a unified front. But at what cost? Is, say, the loyalty of Ted Leonsis, who owns the Wizards and Capitals, to the NBA and the NHL before it is to his own city, his own fans? Distancing himself from his fellow owners to say, "I know what the league is advising, but our local officials think it's a bad idea to bring thousands of folks together, so we'll only have essential personnel on hand," wouldn't be so bold as it would be sensible.

As of right now - and this is fluid, as it should be - the Caps are due to host Detroit on Thursday night. Fans will, for now, be welcome. What's the major question? Can they get the power play going? There's no way those gates can be open.

Yet find some good sense among these "leaders" in sports. On Friday, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, a Democrat, issued a series of "aggressive recommendations" designed at limiting the spread of the virus, including canceling non-essential events such as concerts and sporting events.

The response of the NBA's Golden State Warriors: ignore the recommendations, open their doors for games Saturday and Tuesday, but also post signs warning fans: "[A]ttending tonight's game could increase your risk of contracting coronavirus. By entering the arena, you voluntarily assume all risks and agree that you will not hold GSW Arena LLC, the NBA or any of their respective affiliates or employees liable for any resulting illness or injury."

But make sure you pick up a Steph Curry jersey before you're bedridden, right?

On Wednesday, San Francisco banned such gatherings. That's what it took for the Warriors to comply.

How isolated are the people making these decisions, the people who are ignoring some edicts while issuing their own? How can they say they're taking precautions by closing locker rooms to non-essential personnel such as media but simultaneously encourage 20,000 people to gather in close quarters?

Gobert's diagnosis makes it stark and simple. But why, even before that, wasn't every single owner of every single NHL and NBA team thinking of it this way: What if they welcome fans to a game Thursday night, and next week they find out one of those fans carried the virus?

The NBA, by suspending the season, has shut down this question - mercifully, logically, inevitably. The NHL, for now, ventures forward, both as a league and as individual teams, which presumably want to be good citizens in their communities. Those teams have an opportunity to help contain what is now a pandemic, regardless of what their league advises. Instead, at the moment, they just might help it spread. Carry that on your conscience. Hope the revenue and the two points in the standings were worth it.