The Big Ten conundrum: “Michigan president expresses doubt about return of college football this fall”

"The Big House": Will it be empty this fall?

... Dr. Mark Schlissel in an M.D., an immunologist

As college athletes begin to start working out again in preparation for the 2020 football season, some schools have stated flatly that if students are not on campus, no football will be played. 

That includes the determination that the large stadiums would be filled with fans, all because of the coronavirus. 

The Big Ten schools are preparing to return for workouts, but administrators say that the return of the season is more problematic. 

Michigan president is clear

Over the weekend, University of Michigan President Dr. Mark Schlissel said that the football season could be in jeopardy. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Schlissel was clear about the problems facing universities and colleges regarding the upcoming football season,

Dr. Mark Schlissel's thoughts on the possibility of a college football season have not changed.

If there are no students on campus this fall, Michigan's president does not think there will be college football.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Schlissel — an immunologist by training — touched upon the potential return of athletics and the potential difficulties ahead.

“If there is no on-campus instruction then there won’t be intercollegiate athletics, at least for Michigan,” Schlissel told the Wall Street Journal. 

He also expressed "some degree of doubt as to whether there will be college athletics (anywhere), at least in the fall.”

Orion Sang, “University of Michigan president: No college football in fall if 

students aren't on campus,” Detroit Free Press, May 24, 2020

What makes Schlissel’s comments carry even more weight is that he is an M.D., and Immunologist, one of few presidents from the medical community.

NCAA has made no official determination

While the NCAA often steps in during times of crisis, in this situation, it is missing in action. The organization is allowing each conference to makes its own decision, which could create chaos throughout the country. 

However, the organization may be worried that if it offends many of the schools, like those in the Southeastern Conference [SEC], which are located in the South, which has opposed shutdowns, then the organization itself may go down the drain. 

As a story from Yahoo Sports has noted, matters are now in flux,

The comments from Schlissel, an immunologist by training, come on the heels of the NCAA’s decision to lift the moratorium on athletic activities effective May 31. From there, several conferences have followed suit, leaving it up to individual institutions to make their own return-to-campus decisions. 

Conferences like the SEC (June 8) and Big 12 (June 15) have decided on specific dates for athletic activities to resume, but the Big Ten is reportedly letting schools return at their own pace. As of now, athletic activities in the conference are suspended through June 1. 

Big Ten schools like Ohio State (June 8) and Illinois (June 3) already have chosen dates to have their football players return to campus, but Michigan will wait a bit longer. The state’s stay-at-home order was recently extended by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer through June 12 — a move that keeps venues like theaters, gyms and casinos closed. 

Sam Cooper, “Coronavirus: Michigan president expresses doubt about 

return of college football this fall,” Yahoo Sports, May 24, 2020.

Harbaugh okay with playing in an empty stadium

In an interview with ESPN, Michigan Coach Jim Harbaugh was not at all optimistic about playing games without a vaccine, though he did say that playing in an empty stadium was okay,

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh told ESPN last week that he would be comfortable playing games in an empty stadium if necessary. 

“You could test both teams. You could test the officials. Can you test 100,000 fans coming into a stadium? Probably not,” Harbaugh said. “Without a vaccine, you probably couldn’t do that. So to answer your question, heck yeah I’d be comfortable coaching a game without any fans. If the choice were to play in front of no fans or not play, then I would choose to play in front of no fans. And I think darn near every guy I’ve talked to on our team, that’s the way they feel about it.”

Sam Cooper, Yahoo Sports, May 24, 2020.

President Schlissel also expressed concern about playing the the “Big House” at Michigan, which is the largest college venue in the country,

Schissel told the Wall Street Journal that when the football team returns to campus, the players and staff could be tested regularly. He also expressed doubts about the ability to allow fans to attend games at Michigan Stadium, which has a capacity of 107,601. “I can’t imagine a way to do that safely,” Schlissel said.

Orion Sang, Detroit Free Press, May 24, 2020

Michigan State has said that it will make a decision about students returning to campus in early July, while Penn State said that it would do so in mid-June.

Conclusion

This is a sad story, but one that the final script, or denouement, has yet to be scripted. Without a vaccine, things will likely continue. 

Some fans do not care, but according to most recent polling, most Americans want to stop the virus before taking major steps like this. 

As I said yesterday, “Time will tell.”