No one wants college sports to be played this fall more than I do. As a former college coach and administrator, my life has revolved around college athletics for years. Everyday when I went to work, I had one driving thought and that was to make sure my scholar-athletes had the best athletic experience they could possibly have and that they did it in a safe and healthy manner. We were constantly looking at risk management issues and developing safety plans for our athletic programs. It was a never ending cycle.
Colleges and universities have invested enormous amounts of money into athletic training staffs, team doctors and rehabilitation equipment and facilities. Strength and conditioning coaches have been hired to provide the athletes with the best possible preparation for competing in their sport safely and at maximum efficiency. Coaches have been trained in CPR, first aid and in some cases strength and conditioning. But no one who works primarily in college athletics has been trained for dealing with a pandemic. If we want a return to college athletics, we need to listen to the experts who have.
Coaches and athletes are not those experts no matter how passionately they speak on the subject. I appreciate many coaches and athletes want to play. We all want to play! Every sports fan in America wants them play. I have never had an athlete, parent, fan or coach ask me for less of something. They want to practice and play the sport they love as much as possible. The thought of no fall sport competitions is upsetting to many. However, the untimely death of an athlete or staff member or the development of lifetime health issues caused by Covid-19 needs to be seriously considered.
Several people ask why universities can’t do what the NBA and NHL have done. Place the athletes in a bubble and keep them safe. Unfortunately you cannot place student-athletes in a bubble unless you have them all take online courses and refrain from contact with family and friends outside of it. This is impossible to implement at the collegiate level. They are college students and asking them to stay away from friends and family is not easy to achieve.
Universities have tried asking players to sign waivers. They are according to some worthless pieces of paper. The university and the athletic department will have willingly chosen to place a student-athlete at unknown risk if they play and that is where the underlying issue is. Also, the individual(s) who is potentially exposed by an athlete or staff member who was allowed to participate in sports will most likely not have signed a waiver. Those individuals represent a whole new level of legal risk category for the university.
As conferences and universities struggle to make the right decision for them, understand that without a strong national policy, and leadership, these universities and conferences are on their own. They have to make decisions they deem in the best interest of their individual student-athletes. In the case of the Big Ten and Pac-12, the leadership has made decisions regarding best way to safeguard the health and welfare of their entire community, not just athletics.
As we move forward, other universities and conferences will most likely join them. Some will choose not to. The ultimate test for all of them is if they can keep the entire community safe from the virus spread and serious health issues and what the driving force for having college athletics is in the first place. To promote the university or provide safe and meaningful experiences for them.
Oh Geez Sports 