NCAA reveals updated plan for return of college sports

[Quentin Daniels]

Interesting article on 247 Sports
https://247sports.com/Article/Colle...turn-of-college-sports-coronavirus-146778409/

In a recent wide-ranging feature from 247Sports' National team of reporters, Iowa State Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard expressed confidence college football would be played this season, at least in some conferences.

“My takeaway from that question is: A day is a week, never say never,” Pollard told 247Sports. “Two weeks ago, I would’ve told you realistically I don’t see how we could play a game without fans or I don’t see how we can play games if we don’t bring students back to campuses. What I’ve seen the last two weeks – again, a day is a week – is the reality of how our society needs our economy to reengage. I’m not saying college athletics is our economy. It’s a window into our economy.

 

[Quentin Daniels]

The NCAA's previously assembled the COVID-19 Advisory Panel — made up of medical, health and epidemiology experts — revealed its nine core principles that will be used as a guide for NCAA professionals that must be followed:

1. There must not be directives at the national level that preclude resocialization.
2. State and local authorities must have in place a plan for resocialization.
3. There should be a plan in place at the university/college level for resocialization of students.
4. There must be a plan in place at the university/college level for resocialization of student-athletes within athletics.
5. There must be adequate personal protective equipment for athletics health care providers, and there must be sanitizers to manage infection control in all shared athletics space.
6. There must be the ability to assess immunity to COVID-19 at a regional and local level. This could include immunity at the college campus, plus a more focused assessment of herd immunity for athletics teams.
7. There must be access to reliable, rapid diagnostic testing on any individual who is suspected of having COVID-19 symptoms.
8. There must be in place a local surveillance system so that newly identified cases can be identified promptly and isolated, and their close contacts must be managed appropriately.
9. There must be clearly identified and transparent risk analyses in place. Such risk analyses consider issues such as economics, education, restoration of society, and medical risk of sport participation, including COVID-19 infection and possible death.

 

[Five Two]

Here is an article from Philly Inquirer that is more specific to the A10. Some interesting ideas/scenarios:
https://www.inquirer.com/college-sp...tlantic-10-coronavirus-covid-19-20200427.html

 

[Quentin Daniels]

Interesting comments from Penn State Coach James Franklin on conference beginning college sports w/out all their members
https://www.espn.com/college-footba...anklin-says-conferences-play-even-all-members

"I can't imagine that right now we're all going to open at the same time," he told ESPN. "If the SEC, for example, opens up a month earlier than the Big Ten, and the Big Ten is able to open up and 12 of the 14 schools, if two schools can't open, I don't see a conference -- any conference -- penalizing 80% or 75% of the schools because 25% of them can't open.

"To me, unless there's a level playing field and the NCAA comes out and says that no one's opening before this date to try to help with that, what you really end up doing is you end up hurting the conference," Franklin said. "Say two or three of the schools in our conference that are ranked in the top 10 have the ability to open and a couple schools don't, and you make the decision to hold the entire conference back, you're hurting the conference as a whole in terms of your ability to compete."

Wonder what impact that could have on recruiting and transfers. "Come play for us, we actually play" Vs. "Come play here, we care about your safety and won't just use you to make money."

 

[GMUYoda]

Hmmm... Emmert says no fall sports is a possibility -- https://www.espn.com/college-sports...t-says-fall-sports-likely-no-go-campuses-open

NCAA president Mark Emmert said he does not envision schools being ready to begin competing in college football or other fall sports unless students return to campuses around the country.

In an interview shown on the NCAA's official Twitter account Friday night, Emmert said he has spoken to hundreds of presidents and commissioners in recent weeks and he believes there is consensus among them.

"All of the commissioners and every president that I've talked to is in clear agreement: If you don't have students on campus, you don't have student-athletes on campus," Emmert said. "That doesn't mean [the school] has to be up and running in the full normal model, but you have to treat the health and well-being of the athletes at least as much as the regular students. ... If a school doesn't reopen, then they're not going to be playing sports. It's really that simple."

Emmert said he believes final decisions about fall sports resuming amid a coronavirus pandemic could come sometime next month.

"I suspect that people are going to have to make decisions sometime in June," Emmert said. "Maybe by the Fourth of July."

 

[jessej]

Last year's first men's bball game was Oct 30. To be honest i doubt that we as a nation will be ready for students on campuses by September. Is starting BBall season on Jan 2, and run thru May, a better option? The main purpose would be to get that revenue stream that most colleges need to partially subsidize the other sports.

I also saw an option of the college football season starting in January. That may work in the south and the west, but unsure how that would work in the east in the cold and snow, unless teams travelled to the nearest domed stadium.

 

[ephoops]

https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/1260991584331579394

https://atlantic10.com/news/2020/5/...-modifies-schedules-championship-formats.aspx

"Decisions approved that will apply to only the 2020-21 season were to regionalize and condense conference schedules by 25 percent in the sports of field hockey, volleyball, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, baseball, softball and women’s lacrosse. These revised schedules will allow for institutions to ensure a safer environment, minimize travel and missed class time, and conserve cost while still providing competitive schedules for the student-athletes and coaches. Additionally, the 2020-21 Atlantic 10 Championships for volleyball, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, baseball, softball and women’s lacrosse were each reformatted to a four-team championship. This will minimize travel exposure, provide a final four competitive experience and allow for the championships to be conducted in one weekend. Other revisions to events and policies included the decision to conduct men’s basketball media day, sport committee meetings and administrative/governance meetings virtually, again minimizing travel exposure and time away while maintaining cost containment."

"The men’s and women’s basketball coaches each held their annual meetings, discussing scheduling, NCAA legislation and processes for the return of their student-athletes to campus and safe training. The 2020-21 conference schedule pairings were discussed, and the men’s 18-game, and women’s 16-game pairings will be delivered this week. The men’s coaches also took part in a virtual media panel with long-time college basketball analysts Mike DeCourcy, LaPhonso Ellis and Jon Rothstein."

 

[sleeperpick]

Does anyone else want to post the same article so we can be more depressed that our fall sports are already getting cut? I think I need to see it 4 times rather than 3 to really feel the effects of sadness