On Wednesday the Ivy League decided to cancel football at the current time and would re-evaluate sports at a later date. Back in March when they were the first to cancel their basketball tournament, the rest of the college world soon followed after. Many didn’t believe that would be the case this time around.
Currently even the state of Texas at the high school level is looking a bit bleak right now on the football returning front. The Dallas Independent School District Superintendent doesn’t believe we will see football in 2020.
Dallas ISD superintendent says high school football is "doubtful" for the fall, per @GarrettHaake. "I don't see how we can pull that off."
— Brian Davis (@BDavisAAS) July 9, 2020
Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby recently stated that the Big 12 would move forward towards a fall kickoff until told not to. Essentially if public health officials didn’t step in and put a stop to the game, then they will proceed as planned. With each passing day and reports of confirmed cases rising, it appears less likely that football will kick off as planned.
Recently Ohio State and North Carolina both paused their voluntary workouts due to the amount of cases they now face.
According to a report from USA TODAY Sports, Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut is calling for all conferences to cancel football as well.
“There’s absolutely nothing different between the Ivy League and any division except for the money, to be very blunt,” Blumenthal told USA TODAY Sports. “It’s about the money. And if the other schools fail to follow the Ivy League’s lead, it will be only because of the money. And, in fact, it will be another misguided act in a long litany of putting school profits ahead of the people who play for them.”
While Senator Blumenthal makes valid points, it is a difficult decision. The health and safety of the students, athletes and staff should come first. However, it is hard not to think of the financial ramification that would soon follow. While it is a difficult decision to make, don’t expect an answer just yet.