Big Ten Conference Votes to Cancel Fall Sports, Including Football, Sources Say

The Big Ten Conference has voted to cancel the fall sports season, including football, sources told the Detroit Free Press.

The decision was made because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The presidents voted, 12-2, Sunday to end the fall sports in the conference. Only Nebraska and Iowa voted to play, according to the Dan Patrick radio show.

The sources requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the decision, according to the Free Press report. A formal announcement is expected to Tuesday.

It will likely be just the beginning as sources said the Big Ten is trying to coordinate the announcement with other Power 5 conferences. The Mid-American Conference voted to postpone their fall sports.

While many feel this decision was expected, most held out hope for a fall season, especially when the Big Ten announced the fall football schedules last week.

So far this has not directly affected swimming or winter sports in the Big Ten.

The emphasis for the fall sports has been placed on football, not only because of its popularity, but due to its position as the fuel for other college sports. The revenue stream brought in by college football is massive, and the possibility of no season being played in the fall or spring would be a major blow to sports like swimming. Some universities have already cut swimming from their athletic programs, and other schools could line up similar moves for their non-revenue sports.

Although swimming is a winter sport in terms of when its championships are held, training takes place throughout the fall. Additionally, with the fall season about to be canceled at the Division I level, it is clear that a move forward and the resumption of college sports will not take place until COVID-19 is better neutralized or an option to fight it, i.e. a vaccine, is developed.

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Lyle Campbell

3 years ago

Good

Sharon Chocko Gallagher

3 years ago

Colleges can’t afford to cancel sports be prepared for multiple program cancelations when the dust settles. Laughable is the suggestion of a vaccine as the answer. Um no.