Collegiate Sports: Preventing the Zombie Apocalypse - Now is the Time to Act!

(Originally published on 25 April 2020)

This is an appeal to act now and save a vital part of our society – college sports. Author Max Brooks wrote, “Most people don’t believe something can happen until it already has. That is not stupidity or weakness, but that’s just human nature.” Remember Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns, the financial giants who seemed immune to the immutable principles of fiscal health? Reality caught up to their weak assumptions of failing to acknowledge the unthinkable and failing to act sooner rather than later. Their collapse caused tremors around the globe. One clear lesson from their failure is if you wait to act until you have all the information, it is too late. Today, collegiate sports are in an alarmingly similar situation – and the stakes, I argue, are just as significant. Sadly, I have yet to hear or see any mainstream discussion regarding this reality, except for a recent Sports Illustrated article titled, "We're All Effed. There’s No Other Way to Look at This, Is There?". It discusses the end of college sports as we know it. It does not however discuss a way to avert this disaster. This is concerning to me as it should be to athletes, families, coaches, athletic directors, and academia. It should also be concerning to our nation.

The NCAA and College Sports must realize, if the metabolism of your organization is slower than the environment in which it exists, it is dying! The motivation of this article is to provide a logically compelling argument for:

·        The value of college sports to our nation

·        A clear-eyed assessment of reality as it is, not as we wish it to be and how this impacts future reality

·        A probable future reality

·        And, ultimately, a call to action

 We must begin to act now and not wait to have all the information, or it will be too late. Acting now to save college sports, we also have an excellent opportunity to create the change required to shed some of the systematic ills of college sports. An unabashed Jay Bilas shout out (perhaps, no longer will “name and likeness” objections by the NCAA seem like such a big deal to them). Now is the time to jump-start the metabolism of the NCAA Board of Governors and the entities whose solvency and very existence is inextricably linked to the health and survival of college sports.

I appreciate the optimism and faith of Dabo Swinney, head football coach at Clemson University, and others who professes the college football season will start on time. I do not begrudge him and others who share similar sentiments and optimistic opinions. Being confident does not have to mean we dismiss our sense of agency – both can be simultaneously true. We have an obligation to do what we can, while we can, to create a more viable future. Up to this point, collectively, we have been wrong about this virus and its impact. I also know that for every catastrophe (this one included), there is a long line of optimists, “who swore it would never get to this point." Just look around, how many of us know people who just a few months ago thought our current circumstances would be a reality?

The Case for Sports and Why it Matters to Our Society

Tim Delaney, in his book, "The Sociology of Sport," writes, "to ignore sport is to ignore a significant aspect of any society and culture." The impact of sports in our society is as broad as it is profound. It is woven into the fabric of our nation. Likewise, collegiate sports’ influence is far and deep-reaching across our society. I will highlight three of the many positive benefits of sport to our society:

Health and Wellness – there are multiple studies, data, and science supporting the correlation between physical activity and the quality of mental and physical health. Childhood obesity and mental health issues have become national epidemics. Many experts point to sports as one of the best modalities to keep people active and prevent conditions and diseases associated with obesity and stress.  Personally, had it not been for the prospect of playing collegiate level sports, two things are probable. I would not have participated in high school sports, and I would not have gone to college, had college sports not been a tangible goal. Thankfully, I did both, resulting in my graduation from the United States Military Academy, and my subsequent 30-year career in the Army, both of which I attribute to my playing lacrosse. My point being, just the idea of playing college sports (Div I – Div III), serves as an excellent motivator for countless kids to stay motivated, achieve good grades, be good citizens and stay healthy and fit. These benefits contribute to the positive health and well-being of our youth, young adults, and can create positive lifelong habits. 

Race and Gender – Sport is often referred to as one of the best ways to allow people to get beyond issues of race, second only to combat. It is mostly a meritocracy. Recall people like Jackie Robinson, Jesse Owens, Muhammad Ali, Althea Gibson, and the list goes on. These national treasures played critical roles not only in the advancement of people of color in sports but, more importantly, their role highlighted racial injustice and promoted racial equality. We still are not where we need or want to be as a society when it comes to injustice and inequality though sports continue to play a critical role in highlighting the various ills that still exist. 

For a similar impact on gender, one needs to look no further than Title IX. With the passage of Title IX in June of 1972, everything changed for our society, not only women. Title IX legislation eliminated sex (gender)-based discrimination to ensure all students—both male and female—have access and equality in education. It offers a wide range of protections from athletics and admission to housing and sexual harassment. The participation of women in sports at the collegiate level was the anchor of the legislation. Experts consider this law as one of the most impactful pieces of civil rights legislation passed in our country.

Economic Impact: There are enough studies that indicate college athletics have a significant and positive effect on the statewide economies. Simply put, college athletics contributes to overall state GDP, which in turn results in state-provided benefits to its citizens. The localized positive economic effect, especially in non-metropolitan areas, is even more pronounced than the statewide impact.

Scholarships and grants are another direct economic impact that makes higher education possible for many individuals who might not otherwise have the opportunity.

Additionally, sports generate revenue that goes back into their academic institutions' general funds, making opportunities accessible in education, experiential opportunities, technology, and modern infrastructure that enhance the overall experience for students, academic staff, and the community.

           Paraphrasing Kenneth Marci, sport is a human institution, a universal phenomenon that serves to instill a sense of belonging or meaning to many individual's lives, both for participants and observers. Let us not forget the societal insights, including those that shine a light on our lesser selves, and benefits sports give us on a local and national scale.

The Current State of Play

           The current situation for college sports is not a good one, and frankly, it is getting worse. The long shadows from the cancellation of spring sports, specifically the college basketball championship tournament, only grow longer and darker with each passing day.

Here are some facts and effects that have already occurred due to the current financial strain from the cancellation of spring sports:

-      Old Dominion University (ODU) has dropped its wrestling program; other sports are under on-going consideration.

-      The University of Cincinnati has dropped its Men’s Soccer program and, like ODU, will continue to assess the solvency of other sports.

-      Athletic departments are considering cutting coaches and staff salaries by as much as 20% and other cost-saving measures as an additional means to survive.

-      In early April, a group of 5 NCAA conference commissioners sent a joint letter to NCAA commissioner Mark Emmert that paints a concerning picture of the future of collegiate sports. According to Yahoo Sports, the letter asks the NCAA for the relief of several regulatory requirements for four years to prepare for a potential loss of revenue. Among those requests is a reduction of mandatory school-sponsored for Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs. As of now, every FBS school must have a minimum of 16 varsity athletic teams. Stated otherwise, they want the ability to cut various sports programs to save money and remain in the FBS.

-      Not specific to sports of the USA, nonetheless, a glimpse of things to come perhaps… The Germans just canceled their annual Oktoberfest festival scheduled to run in Munich from September 19th to October 4th. That's a big deal ... up to seven million tourists attend each year. This is the largest revenue generating event in Germany… a massive hit to the economy.

-      In late April, twenty-two other non-Power 5 Division I conferences asked for emergency legislative relief to reduce or waive several Division I membership requirements, including the minimum number of sports a school must sponsor

There is an expectation that more and more athletic departments will come under mounting economic pressure, and these examples are just the tide going out before the tsunami hits.

A Possible Future - The Tsunami

           So, what does it take to get out of the current pandemic restrictions that have shaped collegiate sports' current predicament? Four things: testing, tracing, treatment, and a sense of psychological safety on the part of participants and observers. The first three must all occur for the last one to be true. We require testing, tracing, and treatment at scale to service a country of approximately 330 million people for a large-scale return to colleges and universities to occur.

All indicators now are that these four things will not happen before the start of the fall semester – I hope I am wrong, believe me, I pray I am wrong. If not, then we do not have students at school. No students at school, no fall sports. Boston University is the first school to formally announce that they may delay school attendance until January 2021. Several governors have officially stated they are seriously considering no large gatherings such as concerts and sports venues until the Spring of 2021 when experts suggest the four criteria mentioned above are in place. Additionally, in spring, we are past the traditional fall-winter cold and flu season, which makes matters far less complicated.

What this means is it is probable that college sports, including football, will not occur in the 2020-2021 academic year. Thus, the solvency and existence of college sports, football included, is in jeopardy. Furthermore, the stability of many educational institutions is at risk. Even if there is a spring football scenario, as some suggest, the delay in revenue and uncertainty will result in a similar tsunami scenario, perhaps of lesser severity.

So, what do we do? Do we just hope against hope? Do we wait until we have all the information and then act? Or do we accept sooner a probable reality, and not resist that which is shocking to us, and accept responsibility for trying to save college sports before doing permanent damage and before it is too late. I say we act now.

Call to Action – For the Good of Our Society

           This specific call to action is a simple concept to understand yet complex to achieve. Assume that most, if not all, colleges and states still have restrictions preventing fall sports because that is what the science tells us, and safeguarding human life is preeminent. What then? Well, this article started harkening back to the financial crisis of 2008. Carry that forward to today, and one of the lessons concerning economic impact was going large and go early is the best mitigation strategy. Hence an already passed 2.2 trillion-dollar financial package to buttress our ailing economy and society.

My call to action is, we need a talented and diverse group of private and government leaders to come together now and build on the case I made earlier as to the benefits sports provide our country and determine what an economic stimulus package might look like for college sports to survive - one that mitigates the harmful effect of no fall college sports. The end state should be most, if not all, college sports and academic institutions remain solvent for a fall 2021 school year and sports season. Yes, a government fiscal relief package because sports are too crucial to the fabric and well-being of our society. This process needs to start now, and quite frankly, we are wasting time with relatively easy scenario development for far less likely realities compared to the one offered in this article. The time to act is now.

I am as optimistic and faithful as the Dabo Swinneys of the world. My optimism lies in the intelligence, ingenuity, and the sheer will of people. When faced with a great challenge and a clear call to action, people will join in solving complex problems. I hope I am right for the sake of collegiate sports and what it means to our nation.

I will leave you with the wisdom of Nelson Mandela, who said, “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers.” In this instance, college sports will likely require the government to save it.