President Donald Trump on Tuesday spoke out against the cancellation of college football, as the fall season hangs in the balance due to fears of coronavirus.
“I think football makes a tragic mistake,” Trump said on Fox Sports Radio.
“It’s brilliant football,” he added. “It’s great football. It’s the atmosphere, there’s nothing else. And you can not have empty seats.”
The president also raised the issue Monday, tweeting support for Clemson University quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who tweeted the hashtag #WeWantToPlay on Sunday after multiple reports that the college football season could be canceled or postponed.
“The student-athletes have worked too hard for their season to cancel,” Trump tweeted on Monday.
Trump also said basketball ‘does not work’, citing kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and ‘how they treated our flag’. He later added that the game “looks very stupid” after the NBA season started earlier this year with no fans physically present at the games.
“Some sports work well and sports are not,” he said.
Republican lawmakers have also tweeted support for college football, including Sens Marco Rubio of Florida and Ben Sasse of Nebraska and rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, whose states have large college football teams.
