Some important news on the college football front. Per Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports, the NCAA Division I Council has voted to approve voluntary athletic activities in football, as well as men’s and women’s college basketball (Twitter link).
Those activities can begin on June 1 and can run through June 30. This is the first step in attempting to forge ahead with a college football season, which will obviously play a major role in the 2021 NFL draft (the NFL has already said that it will not open up this summer’s supplemental draft to collegiate players who are facing the prospect of a shortened or canceled season).
Of course, some states remain in full lockdown mode, and others are in various stages of reopening, which will presumably impact these voluntary activities. The NFL has expressed optimism that COVID-19 testing will be widespread by August, which may allow the league to largely proceed as it otherwise would. College football, which is itself a massively lucrative industry, is clearly hoping for the same.
After all, according to a report from Syracuse University, only the athletic departments of Georgia and Texas A&M could be self-sustaining without college football ticket sales (Twitter link via Mark Passwaters of Rivals.com). So expect the NCAA to continue doing everything in its power to make sure games are played in front of fans in 2020.
NCAA president Mark Emmert recently said that there would be no college football if college campuses are not open (story via Zach Braziller of the New York Post). But as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk opined, the definition of “open campus” is likely to be a malleable one so that football can be played even if traditional classes aren’t in session.
“some states remain in full lockdown mode”
It was reported today that all 50 states have begun re-opening in some manner or another. The slower states are feeling pressure both from other states that are more forward looking and, in some cases, from their own residents.
I’d expect a lot of college football this year, with some modifications, and in some cases with fans in the stands. In every case, the most dire predictions have failed to materialize, although that should NOT be mis-read as “everything is rosy.” The reality is somewhere near the middle, but favoring those who were more optimistic.
“In every case, the most dire predictions have failed to materialize”
This laughably untrue. Even with state-wide lockdowns in place (in some places for *months*) we’re still going to blow past 100,000 dead. Millions unemployed. Economy had some serious damage a few times. Your take is not based in reality.
You didn’t read my post properly.
I said the “most dire” predictions have failed to materialize. The most dire predictions were millions of deaths. The 100,000 deaths were at the low end of the predictions. 100k was optimistic, not dire.
Please read more carefully in the future before going into attack mode.
“In every case the most dire predictions have failed to materialize?” Sometime in the next few days the USA will pass 100,000 deaths. And that’s not dire? Ask over 1.6 million in the USA who were infected what they think. We have 4 percent of the world’s population and nearly 33 percent of the deaths. How’s that for dire? And for the administration’s preparation. By all means let’s send out college kids, most of them don’t get paid by the way, to go out and entertain us on the football field. I want to see sports. But I want to see it done. The right way.
The country was closed down due to a prediction of 2.2 million American deaths. To that end, yes, the dire predictions failed to come anywhere close to fruition.
I’d like to thank President Trump for saving 2.1 million lives.
I’m assuming that prediction was made by the same guy who predicted the Browns would win the SB.
The 2.2 million dead prediction was from one model and was well before we really understood anything about the virus (for example, it was based on a spread rate 2.4 due to data from China).
You should not be thanking Trump for saving lives. He’s in the same boat as Cuomo (despite Cuomo insanely getting praise). He’s responsible for this country having the worst death totals on earth despite having months to prepare. Our leaders, from both parties, failed us.
Same response as above:
You didn’t read my post properly.
I said the “most dire” predictions have failed to materialize. The most dire predictions were millions of deaths. The 100,000 deaths were at the low end of the predictions. 100k was optimistic, not dire.
Please read more carefully in the future before going into attack mode.
“Texas A&M could be self-sustaining without college football ticket sales”
Must be a lot of people enrolling in that “Helmet Bashing For Beginners” course.
Yeah. Let’s sacrifice our youth so Bubba and Skeeter can watch a little football. Let the people being paid millions decide, on their own, if they want to play and leave the kids out of it.
Typical elitist insults in an effort to bolster a weak argument.