Two weeks ago, all signs seemed to point to a return to college football and fall sports in general. A six-week preseason plan, slated to begin on July 24, was proposed and approved, and SEC programs had its athletes begin returning for volunteer training on June 8.
The once-murky university football return question seemed to be about to be answered. Then a downward spiral began to occur. Featured programs like Clemson and LSU saw multiple positive tests for coronavirus in all of their programs.
To top it off, an increase in COVID-19 cases across the country has now forced HBCU schools like Morehouse College to completely cancel sports in the fall. States across the country are making efforts to enforce mask use in public as the number continues to grow in states like Florida, Texas, and Louisiana.
In Louisiana alone, 2,083 cases were reported on July 1, while in Florida, 6,563 cases were reported. On Wednesday, what was supposed to be a committee of the US Senate that heard his name, image, and likeness in college athletics, quickly shifted to the coronavirus.
Illustrated Sports National writer Ross Dellenger reported that there is “growing concern among university leaders” that a season will start on time. Among those present at the Senate hearing was SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, who told Dellenger that it is disturbing to see how much the virus has affected various soccer programs across the country.
While the goal right now is for the season to begin on Labor Day weekend, other plans are in the works. One of the contingency plans being launched is to push the start of the college season into spring.
“When I said that we are seeing contingencies, that has always been one of those elements of the 18-20 chance. You have to think, ‘What will you know in January that will be different?’ It’s been hard to predict, “said Sankey. “We have to be careful in our decision making. Even in the midst of the relevant data now, we want to make sure we take care of our young people first and then we will see what happens until July to make decisions.”
According to Dellenger’s report, the decision to determine whether a season will be delayed would have to come before fall camps begin on August 7.
While Wednesday’s news was certainly not encouraging, it also hints at an underlying factor that could provide a new wrinkle in college football in time, what happens when students return to class? Just two weeks ago, Tigerland, a local bar chain located right at the end of Tiger Stadium, had an outbreak of more than 100 positive coronavirus tests.
The fact is, college students will continue to be college students and there must be legitimate concern about the conditions these athletes will enter into once classes resume. Take Alabama, for example, where it was reported Wednesday night that students who they knew had tested positive for coronavirus attended parties.
If that wasn’t bad enough, Tuscaloosa Councilwoman Sonya McKinstry said the students have been holding “COVID parties” as a game to intentionally infect each other.
“They put money in a pot and try to get COVID. Whoever gets COVID gets the pot first. It doesn’t make sense,” McKinstry said. “They are doing it on purpose.”
Now, this is just an extreme and disturbing story, but the fact is that it is impossible to guarantee security, particularly with the rate at which cases are currently increasing.
The problem with NCAA rankings is that, unlike professional sports leagues like the NBA, the “bubble format” theory is not financially or geographically possible. These athletes will walk to class, on campus, and among their peers each week. Safety precautions, such as wearing a mask in class, would go a long way in making athletes and students safer.
Some college football players start talking about the prospects for a season as the current weather unfolds. Illinois senior linebacker Milo Eifler was asked about his comfort level with a season that started on time.
“Do we have a vaccine?” Eifler asked in an available medium. “I don’t know. The football player in me wants to put on pads now. As I left the house to go to the grocery store, I know everyone has been a little scared by ‘What if I go eat with my friend on Friday at an outdoor restaurant? ‘ You want to do those things but in the back of your head you’re like, ‘Dang, I don’t know. Is that correct?’ “
The fate of college football in 2020 will be decided in the coming weeks, but there is no doubt that it now looks a bit bleaker than it did two weeks ago.
