A leading sports commentator said college football programs are going to have a difficult time getting in a full season of games because of the coronavirus.
Former NBC sportscaster Bob Costas, who was hired by CNN this year, appeared on the network’s Global Town Hall: Facts & Fears about the coronavirus on Thursday night and called the National College Athletic Association’s decision to go forward with a college football season “unconscionable.”
“Think of the size of football rosters, and think of the nature of the sport — with contact on every play,” Costas said. “And then, think about college football. More and more, that seems less and less likely. It may be unlikely that the NFL can get in a full season. But the idea of playing college football under these circumstances, players not compensated, no union to protect them. That’s unconscionable.”
Costas noted the fact that college athletes do not have a union to support any grievances that might arise from playing during such unprecedented times.
Professional sporting leagues such as the National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, and Major League Baseball have recently restarted their seasons, with mixed results. The Florida Marlins baseball team had their season suspended by the MLB after a number of positive coronavirus cases, and the NBA and NHL have so far found limited success by using a “bubble” format in which teams are isolated from the general public.
Costas said different measures should be adopted based on the physical contact that each sport requires during play.
“Every sport differs. You can play tennis. You can play golf,” Costas said. “There’s certain things you can do, more or less, safely. Whatever the flaws may be, whatever the hypocrisies may be, surrounding big-time college sports, it’s those two sports that pay for tennis and lacrosse and crew and all the rest.”
