The odds of there being college football this fall are holding at a very fragile 50/50.
Four conferences, including the Big Ten and Pac-12, have postponed fall sports. They’re, instead, leaving room for making up games in the spring.
Six leagues, including the Atlantic Coast Conference, Southeastern Conference and Big 12, are moving forward with plans to play in the fall.
NCAA medical experts, meanwhile, continue to warn against playing college sports, amid the coronavirus pandemic. No greater warning, perhaps, came on national television from the NCAA Chief Medical Office.
Dr. Brian Hainline told CNN late Saturday that “everything would have to line up perfectly” for college sports to be played this fall.
Perfect for college football, or as about as close to it as can be, would be improved testing. Without it, Dr. Hainline doesn’t see a logical route towards playing games.
“Right now, if testing stays at it is, there’s no way we can go forward with sports”, Dr. Hainline told CNN.
I don’t know if it can be expressed anymore clearer than that. That’s the NCAA’s Chief Medical Officer is telling us how this borders on insanity.
And then we’re reminded of the Bermuda triangle which is college football’s leadership structure. Where logic and heeding the advice of medical experts tends to disappear under mysterious circumstances.
The NCAA, for all it’s talking and guidance, has no jurisdiction over major college football. The conferences are making their own calls on how to proceed. Basically, in this case, the NCAA can suggest what you should or shouldn’t do, but the rest is on you.
Meanwhile, Big Ten football players continued to push the conference to overturn its cancellation of the season. Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, along with a growing number of players, took to Twitter with an online petition.
The players want to play, their parents want them to play, and some coaches remain optimistic. But is anyone truly listening to the medical experts?
The goal is to safely play. There is, however, the perception that there’s no solid leadership at the head of the table. That perception is growing every day that passes without a concrete plan.
Major League Baseball stumbled their way into the start of a season that’s become more problematic by the hour. The NFL is slowly easing their way into the regular season. While the NBA and NHL have found success within their respective bubble formats – it took strong leadership from the top of both leagues to get going.
Leadership, transparency, communication, and, most of all, heeding the caution of medical experts. College football, all involved, must find a way to blend all these important elements into one pot.
