Air Pollution in New York Shuts Down Indoor WNBA Game; More Cancelations Ensue From Hazardous Haze

If you haven't checked in on New York and neighboring northeastern states, everything's up in smoke.

NY's air quality has been so poor that a WNBA indoor basketball game was canceled. The New York Liberty were set to host the Minnesota Lynx at Barclays Center before the game got postponed.

Hold your breath; it gets worse.

Nightmare Scene In New York As Sports Shut Down

Appearing like a set out of the original "Dune" or "Mad Max," the Big Apple has been dressed with orange skies and poor air quality due to neighboring wildfires from Canada (thanks, Canada).

In the wake of the pollution, the WNBA, MLB and NWLS rescheduled games initially slated for Wednesday.

The New York Yankees will play the Chicago White Sox for a doubleheader on Thursday. Bad conditions also affected the Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Lions' matchup, moving from Wednesday to Thursday.

The National Women's Soccer League rescheduled Orlando Pride versus NJ/NY Gotham FC to Aug. 9.

WNBA did not confirm a date for the Lynx and Liberty's rescheduled matchup.

How Bad Is The Pollution? REAL Bad

According to Axios, air quality in Seattle when MLB canceled games because of hazardous pollution in 2020 received a 241 score per the air quality index (AQI).

Seattle's score warned of harmful breathing conditions for outdoor activities. On Wednesday, Brooklyn reached a 242 score, and New York City hit 300.

Some of the most jarring images of the week are venues shrouded in opaque orange skies straight out of a dystopian film setting. The sports must flow!

People sit in Bryant Park amid a smoky haze from wildfires in Canada on June 7, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

(Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)