UConn Pres: likely fall sports will be cancelled

[XU_Lou]

This ain't good:

BREAKING: UConn Pres. Tom Katsouleas says that fall sports will likely be cancelled.

"Current thinking is that likely fall sports will be cancelled - with the exception of those that can be played at a safe distance”.

The Pres. spoke to a UConn Journalism class moments ago.

From: https://twitter.com/UCTVSports/status/1252677302598668288

It sounds like he may only be referring to UConn. For sure football - I hope he doesn't mean hoops as well. Anyone know anything else?

[XU_Lou]

The school seems to be walking this back:

CLARIFYING:
@UConnPrezTK
told a #UConn journalism class today that decisions on fall sports would be made w/ NCAA, our conference, state govt & related authorities. UConn fall sports are NOT CANCELED. He said it's likely ONLY if current conditions persist.
@UConnHuskies

https://twitter.com/ReitzTweets/status/1252686945148383234

[JTG]

UCONN football might as well be cancelled.

[Juice]

UCONN football might as well be cancelled.

I'd have to look but aren't they playing a lot of Power 5 schools to help fund their program/get out of debt? With the AAC, I can see them secretly wanting the season cancelled, but they may need the paydays from their independent scheduling.

[Muskie]

What a completely irresponsible statement (I realize he's now walked in back, which is exactly why it's irresponsible). Nobody knows what this is going to look like in the fall.

[xubrew]

What a completely irresponsible statement (I realize he's now walked in back, which is exactly why it's irresponsible). Nobody knows what this is going to look like in the fall.

It was irresponsible, but I can understand how it happened. He was speaking to a class, not issuing a statement, and he said something he shouldn't have. I think he made it clear that he was merely speculating. Coincidentally, I guess a reporter was in the class. As much as this sucks to say, I don't even think it's an unreasonable speculation. It's an unreasonable definitive statement, but it could end up happening.

[kellernr]

This isnt dragging out onto the NFL season. Back to normal by mid august at the latest. Every projection from the medical community has been way off.

[xubrew]

This isnt dragging out onto the NFL season. Back to normal by mid august at the latest. Every projection from the medical community has been way off.

I don't know about the NFL.

I think the chances of college football (and other fall sports) going forward the way that they normally do is less than fifty percent. I don't KNOW that, but I am speculating that. To put it clearly, what worries me is that commissioners and university presidents don't seem to be spending any time talking about how fall sports will be started up. They are spending A LOT of time talking about how to manage not having fall sports at all, and even some time talking about not having any college sports at all in 2020-2021.

It is ultimately the presidents and commissioners that will make the decision. The NCAA will go along with whatever that decision is. Here is what their concerns are...

-Having sports with no other students on campus looks bad

-Having large gatherings and then having a second wave of this (which pretty much everyone agrees will happen whether there are large gatherings or not) looks bad. That's a lot of people from a lot of different parts of the country to have on your campus in one spot.

-Playing without fans just isn't something that they want to do. Not to mention players still need to travel, stay in hotels, have their meals arranged, and basically come into contact with a ton of people anyway. Closed door games may be safer for fans, but it really isn't safer for players.

-If players start to test positive after play resumes, that is going to look EXTREMELY bad.

-If, God forbid, a player dies, then anyone all the way up to the university president and the conference commissioner's office who had anything to do with making the decision to go ahead and play is basically finished.


So, if you want my guess, it's that we won't have college sports this fall. I'm not saying that I KNOW that, but it is my speculation based on the reasons I listed above.

[JTG]

Question: Would you rather have a 10 game College season beginning the last Sat in Sept, or no football ? This would assume no off weeks. And a 12 game NFL season, starting first week of Oct.

[xubrew]

Question: Would you rather have a 10 game College season beginning the last Sat in Sept, or no football ? This would assume no off weeks. And a 12 game NFL season, starting first week of Oct.

I'd rather have a ten game season. The problem is that it's not as simple as that.

If you're a university president, and you're dealing with everything else on campus that normally goes on, and on top of that you're having to deal with Covid 19, and figuring out how to allocate resources, then do you want to allocate any resources to a ten game football season that you're not even entirely sure will happen anyway?

There is no guarantee that it will be gone by the end of September. If you shut it down altogether, then depending on how the contracts are written you don't have to worry about paying your coaches and you can furlough most of your athletic dept staff. If you don't shut it down and you still end up not being able to play, then you have just wasted a ton of money, and you're going to hear about it from much of the rest of the campus.

This is not the NFL, or NBA, or other pro sports. There are other variables in play here. I think there is going to be a point some time this summer where if they are still uncertain about when this will subside and whether or not the second wave can be managed, they will just pull the plug. Again, I don't KNOW that. But, that is what I'm speculating. Take it for what you think it's worth.

[noteggs]

Agree with brew, college and pros will be handled much differently. A bit of good news out of South Korea, pro exhibition baseball started.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2020/04/22/south-korea-baseball-league-launches-mlb-can-only-wait/3001521001/

[xukeith]

If I were a basketball player/student, I would go play where games are played as colleges MIGHT be shutting down. Everyone for themselves. Save your skin!
https://www.npr.org/2020/04/20/833254570/college-brace-for-financial-trouble-and-a-big-question-will-they-reopen-in-fall

[D-West & PO-Z]

I have heard some schools are telling incoming freshman that they aren't going to be able to start their freshman years until Jan 2021. That in the fall they will be doing online courses and they dont want to start freshman out like that.

Not sure if true but who knows.

[xukeith]

I have heard some schools are telling incoming freshman that they aren't going to be able to start their freshman years until Jan 2021. That in the fall they will be doing online courses and they dont want to start freshman out like that.

Not sure if true but who knows.

Think about the news coming to Pepperdine incoming frosh, "Stay home! No school until ..." What a load of bad news especially wiith that scenery.

[bourbonman]

Agree with those who say pro and college will be treated much differently. Pro is a job. If there’s a season or any games one can choose to take the job or not. Of course pro leagues will Need to err on the side of caution. And they can play this in front of empty, or mostly empty stadiums and play to TV. This avoids what I believe will still be a major issue for Months/years to come, large gatherings of folks in any setting.

With regards to college, these are “amateurs”. And out side of football, basketball and to a lesser extent baseball, they really are. And then beyond D1, it really is. As has been stated in other posts, there are conferences and schools that have said they will not play if they’re not back on campus, they will not play without fans (students) in the stands, etc, etc. And colleges are addressing this now. Someone posted some are reaching out to freshman and stating they may not be on campus, or theIr school year may be delayed.

To this end, my daughter will be entering into her senior year at Centre College. They announced earlier this week they’re going to a quarter format for this fall. First quarter starts in August, a tad earlier than planned and end early October. A week break and then the sending quarter. This allows their goin go line for the first quarter if needed and returning to class the second if possible. No decision has been made when they move yet, but flexibility is in place. Of course, this works easily for a smaller school than I imagine it would for a larger one. No decision has been made for the second semester yet about going to quarters then, again flexibility is the key.

To me this all leads to no college sports this fall with no students on campus. I’m thrilled they’ve planned so my daughter isn’t in tight, close-in study, dining and living environment. But sadly, IMO, no college sports

[PeteXU]

Agree with those who say pro and college will be treated much differently. Pro is a job. If there’s a season or any games one can choose to take the job or not. Of course pro leagues will Need to err on the side of caution. And they can play this in front of empty, or mostly empty stadiums and play to TV. This avoids what I believe will still be a major issue for Months/years to come, large gatherings of folks in any setting.

With regards to college, these are “amateurs”. And out side of football, basketball and to a lesser extent baseball, they really are. And then beyond D1, it really is. As has been stated in other posts, there are conferences and schools that have said they will not play if they’re not back on campus, they will not play without fans (students) in the stands, etc, etc. And colleges are addressing this now. Someone posted some are reaching out to freshman and stating they may not be on campus, or theIr school year may be delayed.

To this end, my daughter will be entering into her senior year at Centre College. They announced earlier this week they’re going to a quarter format for this fall. First quarter starts in August, a tad earlier than planned and end early October. A week break and then the sending quarter. This allows their goin go line for the first quarter if needed and returning to class the second if possible. No decision has been made when they move yet, but flexibility is in place. Of course, this works easily for a smaller school than I imagine it would for a larger one. No decision has been made for the second semester yet about going to quarters then, again flexibility is the key.

To me this all leads to no college sports this fall with no students on campus. I’m thrilled they’ve planned so my daughter isn’t in tight, close-in study, dining and living environment. But sadly, IMO, no college sports


What I am most interested in, is how many kids decide to sit out a semester or two if classes aren't being held on campus. I think most of the value you get out of college is what happens outside of the classroom. That all goes away if classes are just being held online. Especially at a smaller, tight-knit school like X.

[bourbonman]

What I am most interested in, is how many kids decide to sit out a semester or two if classes aren't being held on campus. I think most of the value you get out of college is what happens outside of the classroom. That all goes away if classes are just being held online. Especially at a smaller, tight-knit school like X.

Pete, you’re dead-on. I know an incoming freshman who has already told her parents that if there no on-campus and on-line only, then she will not go the Xavier and do on-line in an in-state public university where she can transfer the credits. Her opinion the value of a smaller, private school is the on-campus experience. Unhappily, I have to agree.

[sirthought]

I have heard some schools are telling incoming freshman that they aren't going to be able to start their freshman years until Jan 2021. That in the fall they will be doing online courses and they dont want to start freshman out like that.

Not sure if true but who knows.

They don't want the new students to realize they can get a similar knowledge advancement out of online learning like a YouTube teaching channel.

[D-West & PO-Z]

They don't want the new students to realize they can get a similar knowledge advancement out of online learning like a YouTube teaching channel.

For some things yes, a lot of freshman classes especially probably.

I think as someone else mentioned before the private schools know no one will pay private school tuition, or out of state tuition for that matter, for online classes.