This week we have seen several high profile colleges and universities announce they are canceling fall sports or pausing them. The announcement on Wednesday of the Ivy League canceling fall sport programs was huge. If an organization like the Ivy League with billions of dollars in endowment cannot operate in a safe and healthy manner, what chance does any other conference have?
The Ivy League decision gives cover to those schools that were on the fence about postponing football or other sport programs. It allows them to follow suit and do it with a highly respected peer group. In addition, the high number of positive Covid-19 tests of student-athletes in Division I football programs at Clemson, LSU, and North Carolina place fear in the eyes of administrators everywhere. Ohio State announcing that they are pausing voluntary workouts for several athletic teams only further illustrates how hard it is for even the elite powerhouses in college athletics to keep Covid-19 under control.
Case Western Reserve and Oberlin College announced yesterday they are canceling fall sports. The Centennial Conference and University Athletic Association were among the first Division III leagues to cancel all fall sports. Several other leagues have modified their schedules. Previously smaller schools like Bowdoin, Williams, UMass-Boston, RPI, Swarthmore, Trinity, Conn, MIT, Smith, Wellesley, Amherst and Grinnell among others announced they had modified, cancelled or suspended fall sports. So where does this leave us?
As the number of schools increase that have cancelled or postponed athletics for the fall, the pressure will grow for others to join them. Those who choose to play at all levels of competition will need to be able to justify why they are able to do what the Ivy League and others say they cannot do, “provide a safe return to play”. The legal issues and liability for schools that choose to continue to play will grow everyday.
For those of us who want nothing more than to see college athletics return, these are tough times. Desire to play and the economic impact of not, must be weighed heavily against the safety and well being of the student-athlete and staff. Expect more schools to follow suit and cancel fall sports while hopefully medical experts are able to find a solution to this pandemic. Watch for the trickle down effect of decisions like the Ivy League made to impact the high school and amateur level of competition as well. The next two weeks will be rough!
Oh Geez Sports 