Tag: postpone

LOOK: Twitter reacts to potential Alabama – LSU cancellation

Alabama is scheduled to face off against LSU this Saturday, but the game could be in jeopardy of being canceled after LSU received positives

Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide have moved their way up into the No. 1 spot in the nation, despite not playing last week. A Clemson loss dropped them down, and moved everyone else up. Though, now they will look to secure a win against LSU to imrpove to 7-0 and remain the only undefeated team in the SEC.

Unfortunately, news broke of a minor outbreak within the LSU program, seeing fouring players test positive for the coronavirus, which now puts the game at risk for being canceled or postponed.

Fans are hoping to see these two teams face off, and have taken to Twitter to voice their thoughts:

Could this all be a ploy to keep football off and golf on TV? Likely not, but that won’t stop some fans from thinking it.

This fan thinks LSU is trying their hardest to stay out of this game.

If they can’t hide, can they run?

A common trend is becoming more apparent.

The last time Alabama played a night game in Baton Rouge, things did not end well for the Tigers.

Well, this is… creative.

Wait a minute.

Lions vs Saints game in jeopardy as Saints players tests positive for COVID-19

A New Orleans Saints player has tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving in Detroit for their Week 4 game with the Lions, putting this week’s game in jeopardy.

Multiple sources are reporting that New Orleans Saints player — and former Detroit Lion — fullback Michael Burton has tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving in Detroit for their Week 4 game with the Lions.

As part of league COVID-19 protocols, NFL teams are testing players every day and after Friday’s testing cleared the Saints for their Saturday flight to Detroit, Saturday’s tests returned with a positive result.

Currently, Burton is being rapid-tested to confirm his positive result and trying to determine if it is accurate or a possible false-positive, like what happened with Matthew Stafford in training camp.

Not only is Burton being retested, but contact tracing has identified three additional players who sat on the plane around him who are also being rechecked, including star running back Alvin Kamara.

This is just the latest in a sudden surge in positive test results around the league. This week, the NFL has already postponed the Titans vs Vikings game and delayed the Patriots vs Chiefs game to Monday or Tuesday.

Now, the Lions vs Saints game is in real jeopardy.

With the game scheduled to take place at 1:00 pm EST, the big question is: can the NFL get accurate test results they can feel confident in, in order to play the game on time, or will the league take a cautious approach and delay this game, as they did with the Patriots-Chiefs?

This is a developing situation. Stay tuned to Lions Wire for updates.

Can non-conference college basketball games happen this fall?

With Pac-12’s decision to postpone the start of the season the common belief seems to be that if there’s a season it won’t start on time.

As college basketball administrators around the country attempt to conjure a plan to save the 2020-21 hoops season, a report from CBS Sports laid out some of the obstacles facing potential nonconference games.

Only 17 of the 357 Division I programs has released a schedule for this season, but as of right now, the NCAA is reportedly planning on non-conference games happening, though a decision on the matter will likely be made midway through next month.

But with the Pac-12’s decision to postpone the start of the season until at least Jan. 1, the common belief within college basketball seems to be that if there’s a season, it won’t start on time.

The feelings on this are mixed.

For some this has been a blessing.

“Nonconference scheduling has been easier this year than ever before because there’s the belief it’s not going to stay in its current form,” one mid-major coach told CBS Sports.

It’s been dreadful for others.

“[Our] schedule isn’t complete and anyone who does have a complete schedule will probably soon find themselves back in the scheduling game,” a Big South coach said.

For Austin Peay’s Matt Figger, it’s been the most stressful offseason of his career. In a normal year, Austin Peay has four buy games. It has one as of today. The program brings in more than $250,000 annually in buy games, which amounts to more than 40% of the athletic department’s revenue.

“Scheduling has been an issue since the season ended,” he said. “We can’t get guarantee games. I’ve got one guarantee game against TCU right now. Nobody has them and if they did have them, they aren’t offering them to us, No. 1, and No. 2, they’re offering prices to play guarantees that they were giving back when I coached at South Alabama in 2002. I’m talking $20-30,000 to come play. It’s not financially feasible to do those things.”

The main concerns around nonconference play are reportedly two-fold. With the financial impact of the pandemic, pay-outs to mid-major teams will likely be lessened.

It appears as though the Power Five are calling the shots, with mid-major conferences financial viability likely hanging in the balance.

The money factor in this is gargantuan. It’s also been a story half-told to this point. Some coaches pointed out how much money their athletic departments have saved — millions of dollars — since March due to the cancellation of all sports activity. Schools have never seen such cost-cutting before, and it’s come at the expense of players’ college careers.

The market for games has also been affected. Buy games are down $15,000-$60,000 from typical rates. A 50% slash on payment from big school to small has been common, though the D1 Docket found through a Florida State records request that the Seminoles are slashing their $90,000 pay fee for opponents such as St. Peter’s and Charleston Southern down to $70,000 and $55,000, respectively.

“It is a buyer’s market,” Stephen F. Austin coach Kyle Keller said. “Usually you could hold out and wait and get a higher-priced game if you waited. Not this year. Games have gone for as small as $30,000 for teams that could bus on day-of travel now.”

The other major concern is testing — namely, the question of which schools will have the resources to do it properly. Many mid-major programs may not, and the fact that playing games against less wealthy out-of-conference programs could be riskier for Power Five players will almost certainly be a part of the calculus from conference administrators.

“Many nonconference opponents do not have resources to test and care for their players like [our league] would, so you have a higher risk against playing against an infected player,” one Big Ten coach told me. “Without fans, not much to gain with most nonconference matchups with the exception of ACC Challenge, Gavitt Games, (etc.).”

Though coaches are reportedly interested in large-scale changes to the scheduling format, such as delaying the season to Thanksgiving Week or later and playing nonconference games in pods, it remains to be seen if such an arrangement would be feasible.

For now, the NCAA will likely just monitor the situation as students return to campuses and wait until mid-September (if not later) to make any final decisions.

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What potential hurdles does a college basketball season face?

Over the last couple of weeks, all attention has been focused on the ongoing saga relating to the tumultuous 2020 college football season.

Over the last couple of weeks, all attention has been focused on the ongoing saga relating to the 2020 college football season due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has been tumultuous, to say the least.

With the football season in jeopardy, the basketball season has been a bit of an afterthought to many in the sports media. But not to college administrators, who are already concerned about the prospect of men’s and women’s hoops this fall.

A report from ESPN on Thursday provided an overview of the obstacles facing the college basketball season and what the powers that be are saying about the current plan.

An immediate challenge is the same one that doomed all levels of football below the Power Five: having the resources to maintain testing standards and safety protocols. While wealthier programs may be able to foot the bill for this, smaller schools can’t.

This inequity would be even more pronounced in college basketball than in football, as there is no distinction between FCS and FBS programs within Division I. As Jeff Borzello notes, the biggest threat to the season is still ensuring player safety at the institutional level.

The biggest hurdle, obviously, will be the virus itself. As one conference official noted, not much has changed between when the sport shut down on March 12 and today — beside the risk of serious heart issues stemming from the coronavirus. — Jeff Borzello

But aside from the primary threat of the virus, secondary logistical issues facing administrators are complicating the plans for the sport.

For example, the Pac-12 and Ivy League have already delayed the beginning of the season until at least Jan. 1. Based on the sentiment of figures in other leagues, they probably won’t be the last to do so.

UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma said he is expecting a January start at the earliest across the board. If that were the case, conferences would in all likelihood move to cancel nonconference games.

This would make any potential NCAA Tournament selection process extremely difficult, as such a format would render the NET meaningless. For mid-major conferences, they would have very few opportunities to prove their worth to the committee.

While Big Ten teams would play 16 of 20 games against Quadrant 1 opponents, the Colonial Athletic Association would likely feature zero Quad 1 games. But as one conference official pointed out, differentiating among potential NCAA tournament teams is why there’s a selection committee. — Jeff Borzello

The common theme among conference and school administrators seems to be limiting travel and keeping the season relatively region-locked.

The idea of attempting to replicate the NBA’s successful bubble experiment, which has resulted in zero positive results over the last four weeks, is reportedly gaining momentum among decision-makers.

Multiple potential formats are being discussed, including dividing conferences into smaller groups, each with their own bubble.

One option floated was to split a conference into three groups, put the groups in mini-bubbles for a weekend, play a round-robin format and then do it again two weeks later. Several sources mentioned ideas focused on mini-bubbles and teams playing several games in the same weekend. Another idea mentioned was to have two large bubbles per conference, one in December and one in January, in order to get a full conference season in. It’s unclear if any of these ideas will work, but the emphasis on keeping things regional and isolated is of utmost importance — as well as not testing the limits of amateurism. — Jeff Borzello

As Borzello noted, however, this would be a serious challenge to the purportedly amateur status of college athletes. The same hurdle seems to have tabled such discussions for football.

Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott echoed this sentiment, saying, “Unlike professional sports, college sports cannot operate in a bubble.”

Still, hypothetical talks of a bubble will surely disappoint college hoops fans, as it seems to signal that allowing fans in the arena is not a possibility currently on the table.

As the ESPN report notes, the men’s NCAA Tournament nets $1 billion annually in revenue. Having the tournament is the top priority at the moment, as revenue for schools from ticket sales pales in comparison to conference payouts from the postseason.

The men’s tournament brings in nearly $1 billion worth of revenue, and the financial boost it provides to its member schools is significant. The NCAA distributes tournament money to its conferences in “units,” with each one being worth roughly $280,000, a number that rises by a couple of thousand each year. And that amount if paid out annually over six years, so even teams that are one-and-done earn around $1.7 million per season for their conferences. Having fans in the stands is lower on the priority list.

While the report provides some clarity as to how college administrators currently view the COVID-19 situation as it relates to basketball, we will likely have a much better idea about the fate of the season once that of the football season is resolved. Should it be postponed or canceled entirely, it would be a bad sign about the prospect of a basketball season.

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Southeastern Conference planning to move forward with football season

It’s clear the league believes its efforts to delay the start and create safety protocols are enough to continue moving toward a fall season

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College football is splitting into factions.

On one side, the Big Ten and Pac-12 have canceled the fall 2020 sports season. On the other, the SEC, ACC and Big 12 are all moving toward the start of a football season this fall. The latter two voted Tuesday to continue with preparations for the season, and the former, which proactively delayed the start of the season until Sep. 26 to allow for increased flexibility, is content to wait out the next month and see how the situation changes, according to a report from Andy Staples of The Athletic.

Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork told Staples that delaying the season bought the league time, and the SEC advisory committee hasn’t given administrators new information that would indicate the 10-game conference schedule is untenable.

“We announced our football opponents on Friday, and all of the sudden the conversation changed over the weekend,” Bjork said. “But we’ve been presented no new data that says that we need to change our course right now. We bought ourselves time for a reason. We delayed the start of practice for a reason. We’ve got the right protocols. We have our testing protocols outline from last Thursday. We have a pathway. And we’re not to the finish line yet. But we can see it and we just need more patience. That’s my perspective. I believe that’s my colleagues’ perspective, and that’s how we’re pushing forward right now.”

South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner said that other conferences choosing to postpone their seasons doesn’t directly affect how the SEC decides to proceed.

“I know we would love all the A5s to be playing. Obviously, the last two days it has been going in that direction. They hit a little pause button yesterday. That’s a decision they felt they needed to make, and now they are going to probably look toward the spring. I think spring is a challenge personally. It’s not impossible, but I think it’s very difficult to go in that direction. That’s just something they are looking at. We are approaching it from a different standpoint at this time. It could be something that we address, but it’s not where we are looking right now.”

One potential reason why the SEC appears to be stubborn when it comes to planning for the season to happen on time is political pressure. Unlike in a conference such as the Pac-12, university presidents and board members must contend with state legislators who want to see a season happen. On Tuesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis gave a press conference at Florida State alongside President John Thrasher and multiple players in support of playing a season this fall.

Such pressure has led to SEC administrators waiting to make any consequential decisions when it comes to the 2020 season.

The mantra within the SEC since the start of the pandemic has been that the league would wait as long as possible to make drastic decisions. Tuesday reinforced that. “We have used the same playbook the whole time,” Bjork said. “That is, let’s be patient. Let’s continue to gather information. If there are new data points that need to be entered into the equation, then we do that. We’ve got a medical advisory task force that that meets very frequently. And if they present new information to us that causes us to change or pivot or pause, then we listen to that.”

There’s also the question of what happens if, for one reason or another, the Big 12 and ACC decide to split from the SEC and join the other leagues in postponing the season. Speaking on the Dan Patrick Show Tuesday, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said that while the league could play alone, it probably wouldn’t be the best decision.

“I don’t think that’s the right direction, really,” Sankey told Patrick. “Could we? Certainly. There’s a difference between ‘Can you do something’ and ‘Should you do something’ in life. And so we’re actually set up with our schedule, with our own health protocols. We could, if if that was the circumstance, operate on our own. I’m not sure that’s the wisest direction. But, you know, a lot of interesting things have happened since March in college sports.”

One thing that could potentially put a damper on any plans the SEC has this fall are new reports showing a link between COVID-19 and a rare heart condition called myocarditis which, left untreated, can be fatal. People can develop myocarditis as a result of viral infections such as the flu or common cold, and fear over the long term effects of the condition were cited by both the Big Ten and Pac-12 in their decisions to cancel the fall season. It has been reported that at least five Big Ten players have been found to have myocarditis, as well as players in other conferences.

Bjork said this is why players will undergo a cardiac evaluation as part of the safety protocol, similar to the one they undergo when they first arrive on campus.

“Anytime a student-athlete arrives on campus, we we do a cardiac workup,” Bjork said. “And then, in order to return to any voluntary activity for any student-athlete — not just football, any student-athlete — they have to have the same cardiac workup. They’ve obviously got the COVID tests and then any positive cases, they have to have the same cardiac workup before they could return. So we’re taking every precaution that is a best practice at this point.”

It’s still unclear if given mass cancellations, the SEC will change its plans regarding the fall 2020 season. But for now, it’s clear the league believes its efforts to delay the season and create substantive safety protocols are enough to continue moving toward a fall season.

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Southeastern Conference planning to move forward with football season

It’s clear the league believes its efforts to delay the start and create safety protocols are enough to continue moving toward a fall season

[jwplayer VjsfzEz0]

College football is splitting into factions.

On one side, the Big Ten and Pac-12 have canceled the fall 2020 sports season. On the other, the SEC, ACC and Big 12 are all moving toward the start of a football season this fall. The latter two voted Tuesday to continue with preparations for the season, and the former, which proactively delayed the start of the season until Sep. 26 to allow for increased flexibility, is content to wait out the next month and see how the situation changes, according to a report from Andy Staples of The Athletic.

Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork told Staples that delaying the season bought the league time, and the SEC advisory committee hasn’t given administrators new information that would indicate the 10-game conference schedule is untenable.

“We announced our football opponents on Friday, and all of the sudden the conversation changed over the weekend,” Bjork said. “But we’ve been presented no new data that says that we need to change our course right now. We bought ourselves time for a reason. We delayed the start of practice for a reason. We’ve got the right protocols. We have our testing protocols outline from last Thursday. We have a pathway. And we’re not to the finish line yet. But we can see it and we just need more patience. That’s my perspective. I believe that’s my colleagues’ perspective, and that’s how we’re pushing forward right now.”

South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner said that other conferences choosing to postpone their seasons doesn’t directly affect how the SEC decides to proceed.

“I know we would love all the A5s to be playing. Obviously, the last two days it has been going in that direction. They hit a little pause button yesterday. That’s a decision they felt they needed to make, and now they are going to probably look toward the spring. I think spring is a challenge personally. It’s not impossible, but I think it’s very difficult to go in that direction. That’s just something they are looking at. We are approaching it from a different standpoint at this time. It could be something that we address, but it’s not where we are looking right now.”

One potential reason why the SEC appears to be stubborn when it comes to planning for the season to happen on time is political pressure. Unlike in a conference such as the Pac-12, university presidents and board members must contend with state legislators who want to see a season happen. On Tuesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis gave a press conference at Florida State alongside President John Thrasher and multiple players in support of playing a season this fall.

Such pressure has led to SEC administrators waiting to make any consequential decisions when it comes to the 2020 season.

The mantra within the SEC since the start of the pandemic has been that the league would wait as long as possible to make drastic decisions. Tuesday reinforced that. “We have used the same playbook the whole time,” Bjork said. “That is, let’s be patient. Let’s continue to gather information. If there are new data points that need to be entered into the equation, then we do that. We’ve got a medical advisory task force that that meets very frequently. And if they present new information to us that causes us to change or pivot or pause, then we listen to that.”

There’s also the question of what happens if, for one reason or another, the Big 12 and ACC decide to split from the SEC and join the other leagues in postponing the season. Speaking on the Dan Patrick Show Tuesday, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said that while the league could play alone, it probably wouldn’t be the best decision.

“I don’t think that’s the right direction, really,” Sankey told Patrick. “Could we? Certainly. There’s a difference between ‘Can you do something’ and ‘Should you do something’ in life. And so we’re actually set up with our schedule, with our own health protocols. We could, if if that was the circumstance, operate on our own. I’m not sure that’s the wisest direction. But, you know, a lot of interesting things have happened since March in college sports.”

One thing that could potentially put a damper on any plans the SEC has this fall are new reports showing a link between COVID-19 and a rare heart condition called myocarditis which, left untreated, can be fatal. People can develop myocarditis as a result of viral infections such as the flu or common cold, and fear over the long term effects of the condition were cited by both the Big Ten and Pac-12 in their decisions to cancel the fall season. It has been reported that at least five Big Ten players have been found to have myocarditis, as well as players in other conferences.

Bjork said this is why players will undergo a cardiac evaluation as part of the safety protocol, similar to the one they undergo when they first arrive on campus.

“Anytime a student-athlete arrives on campus, we we do a cardiac workup,” Bjork said. “And then, in order to return to any voluntary activity for any student-athlete — not just football, any student-athlete — they have to have the same cardiac workup. They’ve obviously got the COVID tests and then any positive cases, they have to have the same cardiac workup before they could return. So we’re taking every precaution that is a best practice at this point.”

It’s still unclear if given mass cancellations, the SEC will change its plans regarding the fall 2020 season. But for now, it’s clear the league believes its efforts to delay the season and create substantive safety protocols are enough to continue moving toward a fall season.

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Gators News: August 12, 2020

In the middle of one of the wildest weeks in recent memory, the Power 5 conferences make their life-or-death decisions on football season. 

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It is the middle of one of the wildest weeks in recent memory, as the respective Power Five conferences make their life-or-death decisions on the 2020 fall football season.

So far, the Big Ten and the Pac-12 has decided to cancel their schedules, leading to a great deal of discussion on the virtues of such a move. USA TODAY Sports’ Dan Wolken believes that college football’s inevitable demise perfectly represents America’s handling of coronavirus, while he colleague Christine Brennan claims that there is no joy in canceling Big Ten and Pac-12 seasons, despite what opportunists will say.

Taking a look at the other leagues, the presidents of the Big 12 schools took no action on Tuesday to cancel their games, and it is expected that they will release a schedule soon.

Here is the news from around Gators Wire.

Around the Swamp

It’s great to be a Florida Gator!

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SEC Commish Greg Sankey appears on the Dan Patrick Show, discusses state of season

SEC Commish Greg Sankey appeared on the Dan Patrick Show Tuesday discussing pressure that ADs in other power conferences are feeling.

With the Big 10 and Pac-12 reportedly being close to canceling the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic, or at least delaying it until the spring, the eyes of the college football world have been turned on the rest of the Power Five, namely the SEC, to see how it plans to address these developments.

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey shed some light on those issues in his appearance on the Dan Patrick Show Tuesday morning. Discussing pressure that administrators in other power conferences are feeling, Sankey said that his league’s decision to delay the start of the season to Sep. 26 has given it more flexibility.

He believes that spreading out the preseason schedule and delaying the start of full practices has allowed the league to evaluate developing situations at member schools and others, and with the start slated for nearly a month after students begin returning to campus, he said the league will have time to reevaluate how the presence of other students affects the situation for players.

Sankey also gave no assurances that competition would happen, though. Responding to hypothetical discussions of the SEC playing by itself even if the rest of the Power Five canceled, he said that while it could happen, it probably wouldn’t be the best course of action.

Moving to the topic of player freedoms, Sankey reaffirmed that players have the option to opt-out and retain both their scholarship and spot on the team. In terms of eligibility preservation for players who choose to opt-out, he said that he expects the NCAA to reach a solution within the week.

The full interview can be viewed below. Sankey joins the show around the 28-minute mark.

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Gators News: August 10, 2020

Needless to say, the decisions made these next few days will set the course for college sports the rest of the calendar year if not longer.

A new week is once again upon us as we dig deeper into the month of August, with the latest news from the college athletics realm bringing a great deal of disappointment to fanbases around the country.

According to reports, fall sports are on the brink of postponement until 2021 — including college football — due to the novel coronavirus outbreak in the United States. As one Power Five conference commissioner put it: “It’s gotten to a critical stage.”

The Big Ten appears to be leading the way, with its school presidents meeting on Sunday to discuss the fate of the football season and emerging without an answer just yet. But there is still a sense of impending doom in the air.

USA TODAY Sports columnist Dan Wolken weighed in with his opinion on how college football is finally coming to terms with the reality of the risks involved when it comes to conducting a fall season amidst a pandemic. In his words, he offered the following.

No matter how else administrators have tried to rationalize the push forward toward a fall season for months and months, the chill of trepidation that has settled over college sports in recent days bears a distinct resemblance to the consciousness of guilt.

Needless to say, the decisions made these next few days will set the course for college sports for the rest of the calendar year… if not longer.

Around the Swamp

It’s great to be a Florida Gator!

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Seahawks coach Pete Carroll willing to delay start of camp to be safe

Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll is more than willing to delay the start of training camp to ensure all COVID-19 protocols are in place.

Most states are experiencing rises in COVID-19 cases and businesses are once again starting to shut down. The National Football League, however, is pushing full-steam ahead, planning for the start of training camps at the end of the month.

While everyone wants to see sports back in action in some form or another, safety for all involved should be the number one concern.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll is willing to wait out a delay to the start of training camp to ensure the proper protocols are in place.

Carroll joined 710 ESPN Seattle’s John Clayton on Friday and explained his stance on the issue.

“We want to be as smart as we can when we make these choices in the season as we go forward and if we need more time to get it done, I hope that we’ll take it,” Carroll said. “If we need to postpone the start of camp coming up and we could use that to our advantage, I think we should do it.”

But as of now, Carroll hasn’t heard differently from the league and will plan for the July 28 start date as safely as he can.

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