500 signatures reached
To: NCAA President Mark Emmert
NCAA: Protect College Athletes from COVID—Postpone Fall Sports
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, put the safety of your student-athletes above profits, and POSTPONE all sports this Fall.
Why is this important?
On campuses across the country—Maryland, Ohio State, Clemson, LSU, Kansas State, and more—dozens of student-athletes are testing positive for coronavirus as they begin training for Fall sports.
It's becoming clear that in order to protect students and staff, Fall sports must be postponed.
More and more college conferences and schools are postponing all Fall sports, and the NCAA needs to provide leadership to protect their students during this pandemic, instead of letting money drive their decision.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) generated $867 million in 2019, but it can't put profits ahead of the safety of their student-athletes.
The major conferences that make up the NCAA are making plans to get football players and other student-athletes back on the field to make sure money from its lucrative television and marketing deals isn't lost.
This is dangerous to the players who will have to come in close contact with their teammates and opponents at a time when American professional sports are struggling to start-up. Two teams from Major League Soccer had to drop out due to COVID outbreaks among players and paid professional players are deciding to opt-out of NBA and MLB seasons because of concern for catching the coronavirus.
The National Junior College Athletic Association is expected to move its Fall sports to the Spring this week, and last week, The Ivy League canceled Fall sports. Colleges like Morehouse have done the same, canceling Fall sports to protect their students. It's clear that postponing Fall sports is the only responsible decision to make.
As the U.S. continues to grapple with a pandemic that doesn't respect city or state borders, the NCAA needs to do what's right and make sure college athletes aren't put at risk so that NCAA and their partners can make millions.
SOURCES:
"National Junior College Athletic Association expected to move football season to spring," July 12, 2020, ESPN
espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/29452386/national-junior-college-athletic-association-expected-move-football-season-spring
"Ivy League Places All Sports on Hold Until January," July 8, 2020, The New York Times
nytimes.com/2020/07/08/sports/ncaafootball/ivy-league-fall-sports-football-coronavirus.html