Ivy League suspends fall sports
The Ivy League’s decision on Wednesday to cancel fall sports programs in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic could have a domino effect of the rest of college sports.
In a statement posted on its website, the Ivy League’s Council of Presidents cited safety and health issues for its decision that affects all campus activities, not just athletics.
The Ivy League was out ahead of the rest of the country back in March when the pandemic was just beginning to resonate in government, business and academia. All of the Ivy League’s institutions are located in northeast states that were slammed early in the pandemic.
The Ancient Eight was the first conference in the country to pull the plug on its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. The league went dark on March 10 with its hoop tournaments scheduled to be played at Harvard’s Lavietes Pavilion.
The Ivy League was chastised at the time for overreacting, but the rest of college sports shut down a week later and the pro sports leagues weren’t far behind.
While the decision affects all sports, the biggest impact is on football, locally at Harvard and possibly across the country. Power conferences like the SEC and the ACC have already reopened for football players to train for a 2020 season.
Reigning ACC champion Clemson has had 37 players test positive since the team returned to campus in late June. Boston College, which plays in the same division as Clemson, had one.
For the second time in the age of coronavirus, the Ivy League was the first to break ranks and other conferences are sure to follow its lead.
As COVID case are spiking across the south and west, where most of college football’s big-time revenue generating programs are located, the clock is ticking down on the 2020 season.
The Ivy League is in a safer position to make such a bold move because their schools are not tied into lucrative TV contracts. Power 5 conferences have their own revenue-generating networks that fund their other sports programs. They have become increasingly reliant on those revenue streams that supplement ticket sales and the pockets of donors and boosters.
The Ivy League Council of Presidents offered the following joint statement:
“As a leadership group, we have a responsibility to make decisions that are in the best interests of the students who attend our institutions, as well as the faculty and staff who work at our schools. These decisions are extremely difficult, particularly when they impact meaningful student athlete experiences that so many value and cherish.
“With the information available to us today regarding the continued spread of the Coronavirus, we simply do not believe we can create and maintain and environment for intercollegiate athletics competition that meets our requirements for safety and acceptable levels of risk consistent with the policies that each of our schools is adopting as part of its reopening plans in the fall.”
There was speculation before the Council of Presidents met that the football season could be played in spring with just the eight Ivy League schools participating. A ruling on if there will be spring football and when the winter sports teams can begin practicing and playing will be made at a later date.
The Ivy League’s decision for eliminate its fall football season directly affects Harvard’s three non-league FCS opponents from the Patriot League. Harvard was scheduled to open the season at home against Georgetown with two games in October against Lafayette and Holy Cross.