Meaning that there probably won’t be any college football. As of now, The BIG 10 and Pac-12 are the biggest conferences that have decided to pull the plug on fall sports. The Mid-American Conference, Mountain West, MEAC, and SWAC have also decided not to play this fall. Conference USA has yet to cancel but Old Dominion will not be joining their colleagues on the gridiron. Overall, 54 of 130 FBS teams will not play fall sports.
Meanwhile, the ACC, SEC, and Big 12 are the other Power 5 conferences that are moving forward with their seasons. With the spread of COVID-19, there’s a possibility that all college sports will be postponed until the spring.
Prior to the Pac-12 canceling the season players from each school teamed up to publish a piece for the Player’s Tribune laying out demands which include payment, longer scholarship eligibility, and the ability to return back to school if the player does not get drafted.
The B1G followed suit and released a piece about the actions they want to see before the season starts. This plan focused more on player safety than the system as a whole but it’s still a significant step to college players organizing.
Demands from Big 10 football players as the season draws ever closer. @OhioState – as an alumni, I hope you're hearing what your @OhioStateFB players are telling you and plan to keep them safe. https://t.co/JYo3YzBvQU
College football stars Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields used the hashtag #WeWantToPlay which caused a stir. At first it appeared they were going against their peers who were demanding more from their athletic departments but in quite the plot twist they were all united and released a joint statement with the other conferences. These demands aren’t as intense as the Pac-12’s original statement but the main goal is to, eventually, create a player’s organization.
Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields call for eventual creation of players' association amid uncertainty regarding the upcoming 2020 college football season pic.twitter.com/1yr7dGUkX1
Northwestern tried to unionize in 2014 and the law did not see the players as employees. An issue that the current #WeWantToPlay movement will also face.
In 2014, Northwestern football players on scholarship filed a petition to unionize. The National Labor Relations Board used the Right to Control test to deem them employees who could vote to unionize. It is notable that this part of the NLRB’s ruling was never overturned. 3/
An organization will allow players to have an official outlet to clearly express concerns and demands. With the right leadership, they may even get a few things done. But without recognition under the law, this group is no more than an afterschool club. Coaches will sit down and listen but they don’t have to do anything if they don’t want to.
Dabo Swinney has already given us the game on how they see this.
Dabo Swinney reiterates "I'm all for a players association. A union is a different conversation." He did not elaborate.
It’s an illusion of power for the players; the dynamic will remain the same. Can players escalate this by refusing to play? Absolutely, but that takes a courage that a lot of people do not have.
To be clear; players have every right, and should, hold the NCAA’s feet to the fire to ensure their safety. They’re the only group in all of this that’s risking their health with no compensation or even the promise of universities covering COVID related medical expenses. Asking them to sign a waiver removing liability from the university without legal representation is predatory and those pushing this are morons who only believe these students only exist for their entertainment.
Back to this fall.
One of the biggest hindrances to fall sports going on without a hitch is testing. Schools will need to have an adequate testing system that keeps players as safe as possible.
The problem? Tests aren’t free. They’re expensive, especially with the turnaround needed to keep the season going.
A lot of schools can’t afford or don’t want to put up, the money needed to keep a testing system of that caliber going. This, above all else, will be the driving factor of fall sports continuing or being canceled.
This also leads to testing protocols. A conference is only as strong as its weakest school’s testing. Alabama could be doing everything correctly but if Mizzou isn’t following the same gameplan then the SEC is at risk.
There’s also the window for corruption. If a star player tests positive on rivalry week will the school disclose that information to the player or the public? Will the NCAA hire “agents” for each school moving forward to oversee testing and make sure results are reported accurately? Will the NCAA pay those “agents’” salary or is it the responsibility of the school?
The more questions that are asked the more money is needed to answer them. Something the NCAA isn’t trying to hear.
Nick Saban made an interesting point about players being on campus vs. being at home.
At face value Nick is correct but once you realize that athletes will be interacting with the student body, a group that nationwide has not been taking the pandemic seriously, then it’s easy to poke holes in his theory.
The only way to fully protect the athlete is to put them in a bubble and by doing that it’s a nonverbal admission by the NCAA that student-athletes are above the student body. One more point players can point to when making the case for compensation.
With that being said it’s important to acknowledge the financial loss communities will face without college football. A lot of businesses rely heavily on the revenue that is brought in through college athletics and the cancellation of sports puts them in financial danger.
Does that mean we should ask 18-22-year-olds to risk their short, and long-term, health? For free?
That should be an easy question to answer.
The bottom line is this; are coaches, athletic directors, and university presidents willing to go to a podium and explain to us that an athlete’s health is at risk because the world just had to see Syracuse play Wake Forest? Are they willing to call legal guardians to inform them that their son has died because this nation just couldn’t survive one season without college football?
The majority of them will say no.
And for the ones that are ready to have that conversation?
Maybe it’s time for them to re-think their line of employment because of the health and safety of students, you know…priority number one has clearly been compromised.
ATTN Dynasty Commissioners: Do you want to do something cool for your league? How about a 1-hour live show dedicated to YOUR league? Team-by-team breakdowns, rankings, and more. For details and to book a show, visit: GoingFor2.com/plp.
