If student-athletes want to sit out 2020-21, colleges should let them
I want college sports to return. You want college sports to return. Television networks want college sports to return. Schools want college sports to return. But what if a student-athlete doesn’t want sports to return in 2020?
We are in a worldwide pandemic, after all. Over 120,000 people in the United States have died from the coronavirus. Dr. Anthony Fauci, our government’s expert on the subject, testified before Congress on Tuesday that he is cautiously optimistic we will have a vaccine for COVID-19 before the end of the year, or by early 2021. But it’s not here yet. And there are no guarantees.
To this point, the effort to restart college sports has been all about the testing. We’ve heard about the number of student-athletes who have already tested positive for coronavirus — 30 at LSU; 23 at Clemson; 14 at Kansas State — whether through antibodies (UK’s method) or active infections.
What we haven’t heard is what happens if a student-athlete wishes to opt-out for ’20-21 for fear it’s just not safe to participate. Would the athlete lose his or her scholarship? Would he or she be allowed back in 2021?
I put those questions to UK on Tuesday.
“The safety and well-being of our student-athletes has been our top priority since the onset of the pandemic, just as it always is, and we won’t compromise on that count,” Guy Ramsey, Kentucky’s director of strategic communications for athletics, responded via e-mail. “That said, we’re not going to speculate on a hypothetical situation. What I can say is we will keep the safety and well-being of our student-athletes as our top priority.”
It is only June. Much could change between now and the start of the school year, much less the scheduled start of the UK football season, Sept. 3 against Eastern Michigan at Kroger Field, which may or may not include fans.
Speaking of which, the NFL’s New York Giants sent an e-mail Monday informing season ticket holders they have the option of skipping the 2020 season while retaining their season ticket status for 2021.
“If you decide to (take a year off from buying tickets), you will have no obligation to pay for your season tickets this year — we will take them back into our inventory and we will see you in 2021,” said the team, according to northjersey.com. “Giants Stadium LLC has confirmed that your PSL (Private Seat Licensing) agreement will remain in effect and you will resume season ticket purchases in 2021.”
Would UK adopt such a policy?
“On the subject of season ticket holders, we encourage fans to reach out to the UK Ticket Office with any and all concerns about the upcoming season,” Ramsey said. “We are prepared to offer accommodations tailored to the unique needs of our fans as we’ve done since March. We’ve had countless conversations with our fans over the last three months, all of which have served to remind us why this fan base is so special.”
Let’s say you have been a longtime UK football season ticket holder, buying tickets through seasons good and bad, through price increases and re-seating mandates. It doesn’t seem fair to lose your seat because you’re not crazy about sitting next to 60,000 people in a pandemic — if that turns out to be the case.
Let’s say you are a student-athlete who is not keen on the idea of sharing locker room space with teammates or competing against opponents who may or may not have what is a highly infectious virus. It doesn’t seem fair to lose your scholarship because your school cannot guarantee that you won’t contract the virus. No matter the protocols or safety precautions, no school can make that guarantee.
College athletes are not professional athletes. They’re not business employees who can be told to show up for work or else. During these unprecedented times, they should be allowed to opt-out of 2020 if they so desire. No further explanation needed. See you in 2021. If we have a vaccine.
