NCAA Board of Governors To Meet August 4th On Fall Sports
The NCAA Board of Governors is set to meet this upcoming Tuesday August 4th. This meeting is of great significance as back on July 24th NCAA President Mark Emmert released a statement that showed great concern for the trends of the COVID-19 pandemic and said, "It is clear that the format of our championships will have to change if they are to be conducted in a safe and fair manner. We discussed other complexities in addition to the health and safety impacts, to include team availability, travel limitations and various local and state restrictions."Emmert also indicated that the meeting in August would be a continuance of the discussions.
Our sources (from multiple programs) have indicated that the meeting on Tuesday could be of a much more ominous nature than that of just discussions. One source told us, "It's not looking good right now." However, in the same conversation they did acknowledge there is a lot at stake and they were sure the NCAA will explore all avenues before outright cancellation. Football at levels other than FBS, formerly known as Division 1-A, are at risk of having their season shutdown altogether. Bryan Fischer, a columnist for Athlon Sports, sent out a Tweet related to this news yesterday.
"Limited venues and fewer teams" certainly suggests that lower level conferences could be out of commission. Also, with Major League Baseball experiencing difficulties and currently having six teams out of action due to postponements because of positive tests, the future looks even more uncertain for football. The MLB is a much more controlled and socially distant environment than college football and the rosters are much smaller.
Hopefully the NCAA uses the MLB and other scenarios as a learning opportunity and not a reason to cancel or postpone the season further. No matter what, the complexities and intricacies of every possible decision are endless.
Playing in the spring poses logistical challenges and could prompt a significant amount of NFL Draft eligible plays to sit out due to the proximity in time to the Draft and the potential start of their professional careers. Plus, football is a collision sport that takes a toll on your body, especially in the SEC, and if football is played in the spring are the players expected to realistically turn right back around and play in the fall?
Not playing at all is a nightmare scenario for fans and also could serve a death sentence for college athletics as we know it. Football is the cash cow for these universities and the revenue is used to fund other athletics programs that don't make money. Without the revenue from TV and from gates, concessions, and merchandise sales, many schools simply wouldn't stay above water.
Simply put, it's in the best interest of everyone that the NCAA take their time, be objective and reasonable, and find a way to play that is as safe as possible for all in involved. As reigning national champion head coach Ed Oregon say, "the country needs football."
While many would agree with Coach O's statement, the players and coaches are entitled to having their health and safety placed first and foremost. Hopefully the highly paid individuals and administrators that run the NCAA and its member schools can be patient, be vigilant, and find a way to mitigate risk and play. The Power 5 conferences, including the SEC yesterday and PAC 12 today, have now all put our their plans to move forward with a season and have seemingly done their part, now it's up to the NCAA to do theirs.
The best news out of the meeting August 4th would be no news at all.
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