Ball State’s athletics conference, The Mid-American Conference (MAC), announced this (Sat.) morning that it has postponed all fall sports and fall championships due to the pandemic.  The postponement includes football. The MAC is the first FBS (formerly Div. 1-A) conference to cancel its fall 2020 gridiron schedule because of COVID-19 concerns. The conference is comprised of 12 schools: Ball State, Akron, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami University, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Toledo and Western Michigan.

The MAC released a statement this morning saying, “The Council of Presidents unanimously voted to take this action with the health and safety of its student-athletes, coaches and communities as its top priority.  It is the intention of the membership to provide competitive opportunities for the student-athletes in these sports during the spring semester of 2021.”  MAC officials say they have begun formalizing plans for spring semester.

The conference says the fall sports being postponed are football, men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, men’s and women’s soccer, and women’s volleyball.  MAC officials say no decisions have been made regarding winter sports.  The conference office will continue to consult with its Medical Advisory Panel, local and state health agencies, the WHO, the CDC and various governmental sources.

Ball State President Geoff Mearns, in a statement released by the university, praised the character of the school’s student athletes. “Our Cardinals have continued to show great resilience and determination through the challenges the COVID-19 crisis has created.  Although our teams will not have the opportunity to compete this fall, I believe it is important to prioritize the health and safety of our student-athletes. At Ball State, that same priority of wellness exists for all of our students, faculty and staff. Unlike campus residential and academic settings, the field of competition can limit proper physical distancing and creates conflicts with the use of masks or face coverings. I respect the advice from our medical experts who have advised that this postponement is currently the safest path forward,” Mearns said.

Beth Goetz is Ball State’s Director of Athletics.  She says she understands how much the impact of the fall-sports postponements will be felt by those connected with Ball State teams. “These extraordinary times continue to impact the college athletics landscape and that impact is felt greater today for our student-athletes, coaches, staff, and fans,” Goetz said. “As former student-athletes, the president and I empathize with our student-athletes. We will continue to explore the best opportunities to train while our primary focus remains on the safety and well-being of our Ball State students as they prepare for the start of the academic year.”

Ball State and other MAC schools were dealt financial blows to their football programs, weeks before today’s announcement.  Ball State had games scheduled with both Michigan and Indiana that would have brought more than $1.6 million to BSU athletics.  The games were cancelled by The Big Ten Conference when it shifted to conference-only slates for its teams.  Some fellow MAC football programs lost around $2 million each because of games with “power five” conferences being cancelled.  It has not been said to what extent money lead MAC schools to postpone football to, perhaps, the spring of 2021.