The risks the COVID-19 pandemic poses have exacerbated the unfair power disparity that exists in college sports. From waivers meant to free individual schools of liability should a player die or suffer long-term health defects after contracting COVID-19 on campus to allegedly lying about safety precautions, college football is doing all it can to push through to a 2020 season.
Athletic Director Heather Lyke said she is not encouraged by the way the COVID-19 pandemic mitigation is progressing. As cases continue to rise across the country — particularly in Pitt’s home of Allegheny County — she offered a pessimistic, yet not definitive answer to what she called “the million dollar question” — will college football be played in 2020?
All Division I athletes will be permitted to participate in voluntary workouts beginning June 1, the NCAA Division I Council announced last Wednesday. The move ends the moratorium on such activities that began with the explosion of the coronavirus pandemic in March and was set to expire on May 31.
Two weeks ago, the NCAA Board of Governors announced a surprising reversal in policy. At a late April meeting, the board supported rule changes to allow student-athletes to receive compensation for third-party endorsements related to their status as college athletes.
With football season just around the corner, The Pitt News sports staff tackles everything from Andrew Luck’s retirement to the NCAA’s questionable transfer rules.
From NFL contract negotiations to March Madness to the beginning of the MLB regular season: the first week of April provides action from all around the sports world. Russell WIlson demands an extension while Ronald Acuna cashes in. While Carsen Edwards was lighting up the NCAA Tournament, the NCAA made billions off the labor of student athletes. And the AAF collapses after a promising start.
