The specter of a second wave of coronavirus is something all schools must take into accountGETTY IMAGES
NCAA President Mark Emmert said he still believes "we are likely to have football" this fall, according to Seth Davis of THE ATHLETIC. Emmert, appearing yesterday on The Athletic's podcast "The Comeback: COVID-19 and the Return of Sports," admitted that these are "extremely uncertain times," but "voiced his optimism the games will go on." Emmert: "I certainly think that sitting here today, there will be football in the fall. The situation is obviously very, very fluid. What we do know for sure is that whatever occurs, it's going to be different. We're not going to be able to have football in the same way that we’re accustomed to seeing it year in and year out." Emmert also "dismissed criticism that the recent spate of positive tests indicates the NCAA allowed athletes back on campus too soon." Emmert: "If the date had been July 1 instead of June 1, would students have been bringing back more or less cases of COVID-19? I don't think anybody knows." Meanwhile, Davis noted the "specter of a second wave later this year is something that all universities must also take into account." That "could pose an even bigger threat to college basketball and other winter sports." However, Emmert "suggested that the basketball season could begin earlier and be made shorter, which would allow for an extended winter break as well as flexibility to adjust to outbreaks" (THEATHLETIC.com, 6/24).
RANGE OF ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED: SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said the conference is "seeing opportunities for fans" to be at football games this fall. Appearing Tuesday on CNN's "The Situation Room," Sankey said, "We're going to pay attention to our state, local and campus public health officials in guiding us to make the determination about fans. I would think the game itself would look much like we're accustomed to, but you're going to have fewer people around the sidelines." Sankey said of the recent spike in positive tests, "In any endeavor right now you're going to have those positive tests, but we want to be aggressive to stop the spread" ("The Situation Room," CNN, 6/23).
NOT A SURE THING ANYMORE: USA TODAY's Paul Myerberg writes two developments -- the "rash of COVID-19 breakouts among teams and remarks from national health officials on a possible second wave of the pandemic -- have birthed an increased level of uncertainty" as to whether football will be played. Thirty-seven schools with FBS programs -- roughly a quarter of the FBS -- have "reported positive cases of COVID-19 among athletes and/or staff at a time when the overall number of cases is soaring in several states." However, not every school is "revealing test results, meaning the total may be significantly higher, and not all the athletes are football players" (USA TODAY, 6/25).
STAYING FLEXIBLE: THE ATHLETIC's Nicole Auerbach reports "at least three Power 5 conferences are considering pushing back their football championship games, if necessary, to allow space for potential makeup games to be played if there are in-season cancellations due to COVID-19." Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby "first mentioned the idea earlier this week." The Pac-12 "confirmed through a spokesperson that it, too, 'has discussed the option of moving back the Pac-12 Championship Game a week, if necessary.'" A source said that Big Ten ADs have "considered doing the same thing with their championship game, adding that it's important to 'keep all options open right now.'" Currently, those championship games are scheduled for the weekend of Dec. 5, 2020 (THEATHLETIC.com, 6/25).
