Is it happening?
Most of the conversation amongst college athletics since the coronavirus pandemic shut everything down in winter sports and spring sports is when college football will return.
Reports have indicated that a spring season is on the table. Other reports have said maybe a quarantined, no fan environment could happen this fall.
There isn’t a clear-cut contingency plan, but the University of Oklahoma shined light on the possibility of a return to football this fall.
“After careful deliberation, our intention is to return to in-person educational operations on all three campuses by this fall, offering traditional instruction and residential life,” wrote University of Oklahoma president Joseph Harroz to students that attend Oklahoma. “We are doing everything we can to make that realistic and safe. We are acutely aware of the certain challenges COVID-19 will present as we pursue this goal and are planning to address the issues proactively and creatively. We are prepared to adapt instructional and housing models as appropriate to protect our community and still offer the life-changing in-person OU experience. Flexibility will be a guiding principle as we navigate the coming months, and we will ensure that our students, faculty, and staff are presented with appropriate options to return to our campuses, keeping their safety top of mind.”
Though that doesn’t indicate that a return of students to Oklahoma’s campus in fall is a sure thing, it does provide some hope that it could be a reality. This means not only football could possibly return in some capacity, it could mean all sports.
The common belief is that if there is no football, the athletic departments that already work in a deficit could be in a lot of trouble without the revenue football generates. Oklahoma is supposed to start the season on Sept. 5 against Missouri State. Lincoln Riley has said getting ready for a season won’t be a problem with the current preseason practice allotment.
It’s not the big news everyone awaits quite yet, but it sure seems there is momentum to getting college football back sooner than expected.
“While we cannot eliminate all risk, we will mitigate it in every reasonable way we can,” Harroz wrote. “We are fortunate to benefit from the expertise of our own public health and infectious diseases experts, and we are consulting daily with our subject-matter scientists and physicians. Safety precautions will be at the forefront of all campus operations, from the classrooms to the residence halls. Those measures include adapting class schedules, utilizing larger classrooms for the practice of greater social distancing, enabling the widespread use of masks and other PPE, increasing on-campus testing, and providing enhanced cleaning throughout all of our campuses. Over the coming weeks, we will work tirelessly to identify the best ways to create the safest possible environment for our campus communities, and we will share the elements of our plan as they continue to be refined.”
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