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The Big Ten will not reconsider their decision to postpone fall sports.
In an open letter released by the conference on Wednesday, Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren said that “the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors (COP / C) vote was overwhelmingly in favor of postponing fall sports and not will not be seen again.
“The decision was thorough and deliberative, and based on solid commentary, advice and expert medical advice,” said Warren. “Despite the decision to postpone fall sports, we continue our work to find a way forward that creates a healthy and safe environment for all Big Ten student-athletes to participate in the sports they love from one place to another. a way that helps prevent the spread of COVID. -19 and protects both student-athletes and surrounding communities.
Warren, who had not yet clarified the reasons for the conference’s decision to postpone fall sports, wrote on Wednesday that the main reasons behind the decisions included the number of positive COVID-19 cases in the country, unknown about the long-term effects of the virus. and the inability to maintain physical distance guidelines while participating in contact sports.
Transmission rates continue to rise at an alarming rate with little indication from medical experts that our campuses, communities or countries could take control of the spread of the virus before competition begins.
As our teams prepared for more intense practices, many of our medical staff did not believe that the interventions we had planned would be adequate to reduce the potential spread, even with very regular testing.
As the general student body returns to campus, the spread to student-athletes could reintroduce the infection to our athletic community.
There is simply too much we don’t know about the virus, healing from an infection, and its long-term effects. Although the data on cardiomyopathy are preliminary and incomplete, the uncertain risk was unacceptable at this time.
Concerns about contact tracing persist, including the inability to social distancing in contact sports according to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While risk mitigation processes (e.g. physical distance, face coverage, adequate hygiene, etc.) can be implemented campus-wide for the student body, it has become clear that these processes could not be fully implemented in contact sports.
With the onset of full contact practices and competitions, it became increasingly clear that contact tracing and quarantine would frequently and significantly disrupt the schedule of training and competition.
Accurate and widely available rapid tests can help alleviate these concerns, but access to precise tests is currently limited.
There are also significant concerns about the testing supply chain in general for many of our institutions.
“Financial considerations did not influence the COP / C decision, as the postponement will have huge negative financial implications,” Warren said. “We understand the passion of the many student-athletes and their families who were disappointed with the decision, but we also know that there are many who have a lot of worry and anxiety about the pandemic.
While Warren’s letter on Wednesday did not specify the conference’s plans for a winter or spring football season, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on Tuesday that the conference was aiming for a return to football in January.
“Going forward, we will continue to build on the framework that our medical experts have developed over the past five months, while taking the opportunity to learn more about the virus and its effects,” Warren said. “As we develop a plan to allow our student-athletes to compete as soon as it is safe to do so, we will continue to focus on creating the protocols and standards set out and set by our medical advisors. that address medical concerns. evaluated by our COP / C. ”
“To this end, the Big Ten Conference convened a Return to Competition Working Group comprised of members of the COP / C, sports medicine and academic medical staff, athletic directors, head coaches. , faculty athletic representatives and senior administrators to plan for the return of fall athletic competition as soon as possible.
“In evaluating the winter / spring models, we will explore many factors, including the number of soccer games that can reasonably be played from a health perspective in a full calendar year, while still maintaining an experience of top notch competition for our student-athletes culminating in a Big Ten Championship. . The Big Ten Conference will continue to gather feedback from student-athletes, families and other constituents and will continue to actively engage with its TV partners regarding any future plans.
Warren’s letter comes after parents of soccer players from six Big Ten schools, including the state of Ohio, sent letters to the conference asking that the conference reconsider its decision to postpone the soccer season and provide more transparency on why the decision was made.
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