Oregon State AD Scott Barnes is "facing a fluid situation when it comes to the financial impact on the school’s athletic department," but he said that OSU has "plans in place to deal with any one of a variety of scenarios that could appear as the football season arrives this fall," according to Kevin Hampton of the Corvallis GAZETTE-TIMES. Barnes: "Football obviously drives 75 to 80% of our revenue so it’s really important to keep an eye on that." The university in May announced that it needs to make $124M in "cuts beginning July 1," of which the athletic department is "responsible for about" $10M. Cuts "already include the football team’s hotel stay the night before home games and could hit additional travel for other sports with expensive tournaments or trips scheduled." Twenty-three jobs have been "eliminated through layoffs, non-renewals and frozen positions." Barnes said that he "could not comment on the specifics of those positions." Barnes "remains adamant" Oregon State is not looking into cutting sports. Barnes: “It’s not in our current scenario plan.” Meanwhile, the school is "not asking the athletes to sign a waiver regarding COVID-19." Barnes said that he has "not heard any concerns about playing or participating in a game from athletes or coaches" (Corvallis GAZETTE-TIMES, 6/28).
NAME CHANGE: In Eugene, Ryan Thorburn reported Oregon State and Oregon have "mutually agreed to no longer refer" to any game between the two schools as a “Civil War.” The decision is "effective immediately and includes all athletic competitions in the 2020-21 academic year and in the years ahead." The schools "made the decision following mutual discussions as well as conversations with university officials and input from current and former athletes" (Eugene REGISTER-GUARD, 6/27). In Corvallis, Steve Gress wrote while the rivalry was "not named after the actual Civil War that tore our nation apart in the 1860s, still it never dawned on me that playing in a game with a name like the 'Civil War' and what it represented could have been difficult on a deep, personal level." Gress: "It could, and certainly does, represent something far different for Black people. Something I cannot begin to comprehend ... And if for no other reason than that, I think the two universities made the correct decision" (Corvallis GAZETTE-TIMES, 6/28). In Portland, John Canzano wrote the "Civil War" name "never made sense" for the rivalry (Portland OREGONIAN, 6/28).
