There has been no word from the NCAA itself on whether or not all fall sports will be postponed, but NCAA D-II and D-III decided to cancel the fall championships on Wednesday, Aug. 5. This decision left many people puzzled: What would players be competing for if not for championships?
That question was soon answered after several schools decided to postpone their fall seasons to the spring. D-II conferences like the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), the Lone Star Conference (LSC), the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) and many more D-II schools have opted to postpone their fall competitions.
RMAC Fall Team Sport Postponement https://t.co/ZgS7wD3sek
— RMAC Sports (@RMAC_SPORTS) August 6, 2020
LSC Announces Decision on Fall 2020 Competition
— Lone Star Conference (@LoneStarConf) August 7, 2020
CIAA Suspends NCAA Competition for Fall 2020 https://t.co/2mJU5nUxMk
— CIAA (@CIAAForLife) July 9, 2020
Rumor has it that the NCAA is expected to postpone or cancel the 2020 D-I fall season soon. And let’s face it, all other sports hinge on the decision to keep or toss the football season.
Division I conferences like Big Sky, Pioneer, Colonial Athletic Association, Ivy League, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Northeast Conference, Patriot League and the Southwestern Athletic Conference have all decided to postpone their fall seasons as well.
That leaves out powerhouse conferences like the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Big 12, Southeastern Conference (SEC), and Pacific 12 (PAC 12), who have yet to make their decisions on the fall seasons.
Big 10 has just recently cancelled its football season, which trickles down to cancelling other fall sports. PAC 12 is expected to follow suit.
Big Ten cancels football season by a overwhelming 12-2 vote. https://t.co/bO5zoKbrlf
— Amy Siskind (@Amy_Siskind) August 10, 2020
As a response to the potential postponing of the football season (which would postpone all other sports), players have opted to form a Players Association. This is their list of demands for playing the fall season.
The best players in college football have a message for the NCAA pic.twitter.com/y4kHFTBmPZ
— Guy Boston Sports (@GuyBostonSports) August 10, 2020
The NCAA is now expected to postpone or cancel the 2020 college football season due to Covid-19 concerns, despite many of college football's most popular players taking to social media on Sunday night to express their desire to suit up this fall:https://t.co/MLp1ODrH5h
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) August 10, 2020
Players — and fans — of collegiate sports have united under the hashtag #WeWantToPlay. Those that argue that the shit-show should go on say that having a season will provide a safer environment for athletes.
But with little leadership coming from the NCAA there is no way to prove that having the season would result in better safety precautions for the athletes. I mean come on, so far the NCAA hasn't really been providing or mandating a safe environment for athletes and the fall season hasn’t even started yet.
Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) has drafted a letter that he plans to send to Big Ten presidents, identifying reasons why he believes college football should be played.@SINow obtained a copy.
Sasse is a former university president. pic.twitter.com/xrpRjiWREf— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) August 10, 2020
Those pesky 18 to 22 year olds aren’t going to completely stop their "lived experiences" for the entirety of a season. And if they do, you can bet that still holding practices would result in the same level of concentration from them. So while competition season is cancelled, grind season isn’t.