Although Bentley fall sports have come to a screeching halt, many colleges across the country have been hard at work to try to still play this semester or make alternate plans. We have often heard that the education, growth, and opportunity offered to student-athletes is paramount to what the NCAA offers. However, as members of the Bentley community, we are all keen on the financial impact of a lack of play. Scholarships can be lost, athletic programs can run out of funds, and some colleges may be forced to close if there is no revenue. Stanford cut eleven varsity programs over the summer, and Washington State University recently announced they will cut jobs and reduce employee pay.
These are far from isolated incidents, and the financial burden facing colleges without athletic revenue will have a ripple effect across the industry. Many major sports conferences have postponed their seasons. Currently, those who have postponed have the option to run an eight-game spring schedule or find alternative plays ways to play. What is most interesting about the coronavirus pandemic is how geographical the issue has become; the PAC-12 (Pacific) and Big Ten (Northwest) have initially postponed fall sports. However, the SEC (Southeast), ACC (Atlantic), and Big 12 (Southwest) have continued with college football, the most profitable of the sports. This decision is controversial, especially with the recent development of coronavirus outbreaks at the Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Penn State, and Memphis facilities. We are all aware of how political this pandemic has become, and this polarizing split in conference play only reflects this further. Fortunately for the PAC-12, their warm climate is ideal for fall sports to simply be pushed back into the winter, as board members have discussed.
In the college basketball world, later potential start dates are being considered in both November and December. It appears that with so much uncertainty regarding the pandemic, it is difficult to make any official decisions. Much is still to be discussed and we will only have to wait and see which sports will be continuing play, including which conferences, and when.
All things considered, the NCAA has been more accommodating of difficult circumstances caused by the pandemic. The Division I Board of Directors announced they will work to host fall sports championships in the spring of 2021, including men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball, men's water polo, field hockey and FCS football. They have also granted an extra year of eligibility for all Division I student-athletes and an extra year to complete it. The inequality of practice time, access to athletic facilities, and more issues due to COVID-19 have resulted in some unusual scores (BYU defeated Navy 55-3 last week, with Navy deciding against full-contact practices) and will continue to contribute to a very odd 2020 college football season. However, with positivity, readiness, and most importantly the safety of student-athletes in mind, college sports have the chance to be successful in 2020.
Following our production deadline, the Big 10 conference decided to reverse their original decision with their intent being to resume play during the weekend of October 24. Amid pressure from President Trump, and plenty of other sources, the fourteen universities that make up the conference unanimously voted to return to play. This decision was first reported on Wednesday, and it could have a significant impact on the decisions of other collegiate conferences nationwide.
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