I Don't Expect Fall Sports To Happen At All For The NCAA

With the Ivy League postponing ALL fall sports for 2020 (you read that right) and conferences like the Big Ten and ACC adjusting their schedules, the question of whether college football (or fall sports altogether) should happen this year. I say football because that is the obvious cash cow for the NCAA, but this will apply to all sports in the fall.

As much as Mark Emmert loves money (it's a common staple among any figure in power. Who doesn't, anyway?), COVID-19 has gotten sports by the stranglehold. Leagues such as the NBA and MLB are coping with a tsunami of positive tests and numerous players (even teams!) are opting out of the season. It doesn't look good for fall sports for the NCAA. It isn't just fall sports taking a hit, either. Stanford just cut 11 varsity sports, including men's and women's fencing and wrestling.

What could the NCAA do to ensure a season happens? One way is to wait out the pandemic, which will be unlikely. Another way is to ramp up testing and have no fans come to the games. Unfortunately for Emmert and company, that is a big part of the money equation. A perfect example would be the University of Michigan having a quarter of their football revenue come from attendance.

This is not accurate. Here's info for the University of Michigan for example. Ticket sales are almost exactly 25% of revenue. https://t.co/X0PbiAw5sE pic.twitter.com/IMVv2AXFc6

— Nicole Auerbach □ (@NicoleAuerbach) April 15, 2020

Granted, the NCAA urges the money to be split among conference members, so it's not as big of a deal for lesser schools such as Minnesota and Rutgers. But it's an unfortunate set of circumstances set upon the sports world. Sports, especially at a collegiate level, will never be the same after this pandemic.