The very worst planning in the history of higher education plays out around us, one frat party and apartment egg at a time. Colleges bring back to campus after being away from many of their friends since March in the past – who knew they would be unstoppable socially, pandemic would be damned?
The record on this epic statement has begun, with schools closing person classes at a number of locations. (Except, of course, it was fully calculated, and universities wanted to get all the money for housing and tuition they could before they were forced to close classrooms.) Now schools are trying to falsify irresponsible behavior: Connecticut kicked out some students dorms, and other universities have also threatened disciplinary action.
It’s another attempt to save another American misunderstanding in the summer of COVID.
Where this outward farce intersects with college sports, there is of course on the football field. Schools that signal their intention to play their cash-cow sport remain intent on playing. This is particularly interesting at the Atlantic Coast Conference.
On Thursday, North Carolina State became the third ACC school to stop classes in person due to the spread of viruses. However, the school does not close residential homes, allowing students to stay on campus.
That follows decisions by North Carolina and Notre Dame to stop person classes earlier this week. UNC sent students home; Notre Dame is on a two week hold before deciding how to proceed for the longer trek.
Both the Tar Heels and Fighting Irish called off football practices on Wednesday and Thursday, but athletic leadership at both schools says they plan to move on to a season. NC State said in a statement that it ‘will continue to hold practices and workouts for our teams … with the expectation of competing this fall. … ”No break in Raleigh yet.
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This is the point where athletic college ties its own hands behind its back. Because if the athletes were really like the rest of the student body, fake sports – especially football, which the NCAA categorizes as a high-risk virus sport – would cease along with other activities on campus. But they are not, because we all know that footballers are not exactly like the rest of the student body.
They are revenue managers. Thus, exceptions must be made. What holes do all the arguments about amateurism that the NCAA has had for decades?
The situation in North Carolina is particularly glaring, with non-athletes being sent home – which caused enough backlog of faculty that the school chancellor felt compelled to ask sports to stand for now. Before Tar Heels basketball player Garrison Brooks noted on Twitter earlier this week: “So what’s the difference between student athletes and regular students? Are we immune to this virus because we do sports? Not immune, but more valuable to the finish line. That is the difference.
The Stubborn / Steadfast Six leagues that are still pushing ahead with football are subdivided into the Big Three and Little Three, with the ACC participating in the Southeast Conference and Big 12 in the former group. Of the Big Three, the ACC was considered the most shaky in its commitment to progress. With more academically prestigious institutions than the other two leagues and two schools located in areas with major travel restrictions (Syracuse and Boston College), the idea was that the athletic tail would have a harder time weighing on this academic dog.
But from 4.30pm ET Thursday – things are changing fast these days, so let’s time it – no one in the league hits the eject button. Hell, Florida State just announced their plans for tailgating at football games. Notre Dame hopes to return to the practice fields this week, even though the school has stopped all its own meetings of student clubs and organizations and closed all fitness and recreation centers.
(The school’s athletic director, Jack Swarbrick, recounted Sports Illustrated in the spring that a learning environment on campus was needed to play football. “I hate talking in absolutes, but I can not see it doing that,” he said. ‘The students need to be on campus. ‘Fortunately for coach Brian Kelly, the students are still on campus. Even if the classes are not. For the moment, that seems good enough for Notre Dame.)
The ACC is perhaps going from sidekick of SEC and Big 12 to the Big Three league that is most ready to step through to kickoff. The Clemsonization of the conference can be complete.
The more interesting thing is what happens to the Little Three, who all also go on to the season without nearly as much financial reward on the point. The Sun Belt just had a freshman quarterback, Georgia State Mikele Colasurdo, announce Thursday that he would not play this season after developing myocarditis as a side effect of COVID-19. Colasurdo told The Athletic that he thinks the Panthers still need to play football this season, and a school spokesman said in an email to SI that Georgia State intends to do just that. A player at Houston, who is a member of the American Athletic Conference, also said he would not play this season after suffering from its complications.
No one stops in any of these leagues. In fact, in the Sun Belt, they have every intention of playing all of their bankruptcy sports, even if the NCAA is sitting down to host all those championships, except football after the spring. That vote could and will likely come Friday.
Why play in the fall when the NCAA is in the process of setting up a spring season? One Sun Belt source made it clear to SI this week: ‘It’s all for football. We can not move everything to the spring, except football. It would look bad. ”
Some in the Stubborn / Steadfast Six seem to be getting closer and closer to just saying, Forget how bad it looks, play anyway. Optics are overrated. With campuses closing classrooms but football still in the pipeline, it’s time for university presidents to swallow some truth serum and name the scheme what it is: a quasi-professional endeavor that brings significant cash into a time that cash runs low.
Student quarrels and spike test rates were too predictable and formidable a problem on the academic side of campus. But they may have met their match in King Football.
More ACC coverage from SI.com Team Sites:
Tracking ACC players to take down from 2020 football season
Five Notre Dame athletes test positive for COVID-19
NC State players ready to do whatever it takes to save the season
Syracuse Players ‘Full Steam Ahead’ With 2020 Season
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