NCAA coronavirus advisory panel: Amesh Adalja discusses how college football season is at risk
Playing 2020 football season ‘under intense discussion’ by coronavirus NCAA advisory panel
WASHINGTON – The coronavirus pandemic continues as the United States attempts to flatten the curve ahead of a national peak.
Dr. Deborah Birx discussed three hotspot areas during a Coronavirus Task Force press conference Saturday.
“By the predictions that are in that healthdata.org, they are predicting in those three hotspots, all of them hitting together in the next six to seven days,” Birx said Saturday of the Detroit, New York and Louisiana areas.
President Donald Trump also discussed his teleconference Saturday with sports commissioners and action they have taken to cancel, postpone and suspend competition.
“I just spoke with the commissioners, leaders of, I would say virtually all of the sports leagues,” Trump said during the Coronavirus Task Force briefing. “Rob Manfred, Commissioner of Major League Baseball, Roger Goodell, Commissioner of the National Football League, Adam Silver, Commissioner of the National Basketball Association, Gary Bettman, Commissioner of the National Hockey League, Jay Monaghan, Commissioner of the PGA Tour, Cathy Engelbert, Commissioner of the Women’s National Basketball Association. Dana White, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Vince McMan, President of the WWE, Don Garber, Commissioner of Major League Soccer, Steve Phelps, President of NASCAR, Michael Wahn, Commissioner of the LPGA, Roger Penske, founder and Chairman Penske Corp and Drew Fleming, President of the Breeders’ Cup, and there were a couple of others on and these are all the great leaders of sport and they want to get back, they got to get back.
“They can’t do this. The sports weren’t designed for it. The whole concept of our nation wasn’t designed for, we’re going to have to get back. We want to get back soon, very soon.”
Trump was also asked about wanting fans back in arenas and stadiums in the near future.
“Absolutely, I want fans back in the arenas,” he said.
Trump mentioned that fans will return to arenas and stadiums “whenever we’re ready” and that it would happen “as soon as we can – obviously.”
“The fans want to be back, too,” he continued. “They want to see basketball, baseball, football and hockey. They want to see their sports, they want to go out onto the golf courses and breathe nice, clean, beautiful, fresh air.
“I can’t tell you a date, but I think it’s going to be sooner rather than later. We’re not going to have to have separation for the rest of our times on the planet. We need it for this period of time, but eventually people are going to be able to occupy those seats in arenas next to each other like we have for all of my life and all of your life. They want to sit next to each other at restaurants. They don’t want to be six feet away.”
A “sooner rather than later” return of professional sports would have an impact on college athletics and a reality of the football season taking place. The 2020 college football season is slated to kickoff August 29.