BREAKING: Big Ten becomes the first ‘Power Five’ football conference to postpone fall sports due to COVID-19 – but officials remain hopeful they can play the season in the spring of 2021
- Big Ten Conference presidents voted to postpone the upcoming season with the hopes of playing in the spring. No other ‘Power Five’ conference has done so yet
- The decision to postpone the season comes amid concern that a rare heart condition known as myocarditis could result from players contracting COVID-19
Big Ten Conference presidents voted Tuesday to postpone the upcoming season with the hopes of playing in the spring.
The move comes after President Donald Trump spent two days urging college football administrators to proceed with the 2020 season amid the pandemic.
The other four ‘Power Five’ collegiate football conferences have yet to cancel their respective seasons, but that could all change by the end of the week. The Big Ten is the third FBS conference to postpone or outright cancel the football season, joining the MAC and Mountain West. (NCAA Division I college football is divided between the larger schools in the FBS, which was formerly Division I-A, and the FCS, which was previously Division I-AA)
The Ohio State-Michigan rivalry may not be renewed until the spring of 2021
Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren (pictured) reportedly hopes to play football this spring
The move comes amid concern that a rare heart condition could result from players contracting the coronavirus.
Five Big Ten players have reportedly been found to have myocarditis, which is inflammation of tissue in the heart. Usually the result of a viral infection, complications of myocarditis include heart damage and possibly fatal heart attacks.
An ESPN report cited two sources who have ‘knowledge of athletes’ medical care’ that five Big Ten players have been found to have myocarditis, which is inflammation of tissue in the heart.
Usually the result of a viral infection, complications of myocarditis include heart damage and possibly fatal heart attacks.