While student-athletes around the country are back on campus and preparing for the upcoming football season, the coronavirus pandemic may be putting a stop to some plans.
The Ivy League, who has schools in the northeast part of the country, has decided to scrap plans for college football and other fall sports and will look at returning to the field in the spring. While there is no guarantee they will look at the process of a return starting in January. Earlier this week the Centennial Conference in Division III, just outside of Philadelphia, also suspended sports for the fall.
Now, how long will it take for the major conferences to make a decision on what will happen come August. The first week of games are now less than two months away. Teams will have to travel, likely through airports. While fans will not be in the picture at least in the stands, it may be more of a distraction playing in an empty stadium than a full one.
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While we know that college football is the cash cow for the NCAA, and where they make their money for the year, the major conferences have some decisions to make and pretty quickly. There are hotspots of the coronavirus pandemic across the country with Florida, Calfornia, New York, and Arizona being mentioned hot spots. New York was a key area at the start of the pandemic in March and April.
If we do see football this Fall, it may put those playing and involved at greater risk. The idea of shifting Fall Sports to Spring is not a new concept. It has been discussed from pretty much the start and may become a reality. Closer to home, the Pac-12 may have a totally separate issue to deal with.
Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott is rumored to be on the way out, but not due to the pandemic. The amount of revenue the Conference of Champions has brought in over the last few seasons is the concern. Scott has also said that Spring Football could be seen as a ‘last resort’, but now it may be the best option given the current circumstance.
The clock is ticking on college football and as the cases of the pandemic increase, Fall Football is more and more in doubt.