College football 2021: NCAA reforms, pandemic recovery
College football will attempt to return to normal in 2021after a season roiled by the pandemic while also adapting to a new paradigm in which the athletes have more power than ever before.
A COVID-19 vaccine brings hope for a season with full schedules, fewer disruptions and more fans in the stands.
“I know that there’s a lot in front of us,” Boston College athletic director Patrick Kraft said. “But I do believe that good times are coming. We’re going to get back to having full stadiums and the athletes having their parents come and watch them play. And campus being abuzz Saturday morning or Friday night. Yes, I feel that’s coming.”
So what will the ’21 season look like?
Pandemic predictions
Dr. Cameron Wolfe, an infectious disease specialist at Duke who led the Atlantic Coast Conference’s medical advisory panel, is cautious when talking about a return to normal next football season.
The availability of effective vaccines and lessons learned about mitigation strategies give reason to believe that college football will run more smoothly. If nothing else, another summer of uncertainty over holding a season at all seems unlikely.
“We’re very confident that the current vaccine has wonderful protection against the current strain of COVID,” Wolfe said. “And you can hear my current emphasis there because there are some folks who are a little nervous that some strain mutations that we’re starting to see … may impact vaccine protection.”
Even if the vaccine stays ahead of the virus, there could still be surveillance testing next fall in athletic departments. And schools might be hesitant to demand athletes be vaccinated for COVID-19, but they could require routine testing for those who are not.
Face coverings, social distancing and other mitigation strategies won’t disappear, but the hope is constant testing of athletes – and the stress that comes with knowing the next round could be the one that shuts down a team – is less likely to be carried over into 2021.
NCAA reform
The name, image and likeness proposal in front of the the Div. I Council would allow athletes to earn money from outside sources, with limitations.
Athletes will not be permitted to display school logos. They will not be allowed to enter sponsorship agreements that could conflict with their schools’ deals. For example, a Nike school could prevent one of its athletes from striking a deal with another shoe or apparel company. Also, athletes will not be permitted to endorse products or companies that conflict with NCAA values (gambling or alcohol).
Lastly, a third party will be in charge of monitoring deals athletes make for fair market value and improprieties.
There are still many questions to sort through and there is also a chance next week’s vote might not happen. Some college sports leaders, including Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey, have said a delay might be in order because no matter what the NCAA does, nothing is truly set until Congress weighs in.