Affected Big Ten sports include football, men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, men’s and women’s soccer, and women’s volleyball. The conference’s statement said a number of options will be evaluated, including the potential of spring competitions. The conference also said decisions on winter and spring sports will “continue to be evaluated.”
Big Ten and PAC-12 Follow The MAC’s Lead, Postpone Fall Sports
The Big Ten Conference, whose Indiana members are Purdue and Indiana universities, and The PAC-12 Conference on the west coast, have now joined the Mid-American Conference and the Mountain West Conference in postponing fall sports and conference championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Big Ten issued a statement today (Tuesday) saying that it relied on the medical advice and counsel of the Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee. Morton Schapiro is Chair of the Big Ten Council of Presidents/Chancellors and Northwestern University President. He said, “Our primary responsibility is to make the best possible decisions in the interest of our students, faculty and staff.” Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren added, “The mental and physical health and welfare of our student-athletes has been at the center of every decision we have made regarding the ability to proceed forward. As time progressed and after hours of discussion … it became abundantly clear that there was too much uncertainty regarding potential medical risks to allow our student-athletes to compete this fall.”
Meanwhile out west, the PAC-12, whose members include UCLA, USC, Stanford and the University of Washington, announced it would postpone all sports competitions through the end of the calendar year.