There will be no football or other sports in the Ivy League this fall because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was announced Wednesday.
Consistent with campus health & safety policies across the League, The Ivy League Presidents outline phased-in approach to intercollegiate athletics activity, including no competition prior to the end of the fall semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
📰» https://t.co/7iwQGnECsT pic.twitter.com/DYUFoFshA4
— The Ivy League (@IvyLeague) July 8, 2020
The eight schools that comprise the conference could be looking at a spring schedule — possibly playing against each other. However, no decision has been made regarding that possibility.
“The feeling is that once we made the decision to postpone fall sports, we will have some time to assess the situation (pandemic) before making a decision about playing next spring,” one Ivy League source told SI.com.
The release:
With the safety and well-being of students as their highest priority, Ivy League institutions are implementing campus-wide policies including restrictions on student and staff travel, requirements for social distancing, limits on group gatherings, and regulations for visitors to campus. As athletics is expected to operate consistent with campus policies, it will not be possible for Ivy League teams to participate in intercollegiate athletics competition prior to the end of the fall semester.
Practice and other athletic training opportunities for enrolled student-athletes will be permitted provided they are structured in accordance with each institution’s procedures and applicable state regulations. The Ivy League will also issue guidelines on a phased approach to conditioning and practice activities to allow for interaction among student-athletes and coaches that will begin with limited individual and small group workouts and build to small group practice sessions, if public health conditions permit.
Fall sport student-athletes will not use a season of Ivy League or NCAA eligibility in the fall, whether or not they enroll. Students who wish to pursue competition during a fifth-year will need to work with their institutions in accordance with campus policy to determine their options beyond their current anticipated graduation date.
The question in the bigger picture is will this decision have an impact on college football as a whole.
The Ivy League is officially the first conference to postpone fall sports — just like it was the first conference to cancel its conference tournament back in March. Last time, everybody else followed the Ivy’s lead. So it’ll be interesting to see if the same thing happens again.
— Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) July 8, 2020