The Big Ten and other conferences in college football have already canceled or postponed the 2020 college football season. Nonetheless, President Donald Trump is demanding on Twitter that the Big Ten and all football to be played this year.
No, I want Big Ten, and all other football, back – NOW. The Dems don’t want football back, for political reasons, but are trying to blame me and the Republicans. Another LIE, but this is what we are up against! They should also open up all of their Shutdown States.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 28, 2020
Trump's rant comes in the wake of the news that the Big Ten could consider beginning their season near Thanksgiving. ESPN's Adam Rittenberg and Mark Schlabach reported that beginning on Thanksgiving is just one of the options that the Big Ten is considering. Another option would be to conduct an eight- or nine-game schedule in indoor stadiums in early January.
Back on Aug. 11, the Big Ten became the first power-five conference to announce they would not have a season in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Since then, the Big Ten Conference has compiled a task force that is attempting to pinpoint the best time to conduct the upcoming season.
Several athletic conferences associated with the NCAA announced postponing fall sports, something that has rubbed off the wrong way with numerous people hoping for sports as a distraction in the coming months. Further, multiple NFL teams have announced fans not permitted at home games at the beginning of the 2020 regular season.
Barry Alvarez, Wisconsin's athletic director and member of the task force, said that the conference is working hard to find an ideal time to begin the season.
“It may be a little earlier, but around January,” Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez, a leading member of the return to play task force, told ESPN earlier this week. “We may try to start earlier. We're talking to all of the TV people, trying to get all of the information and see what fits. We still have to go through our chancellors and presidents to OK it.”
Even though he is the president of the United States, Trump doesn't have much—if any—say on whether the Big Ten has a season this year or not. Although, it appears the Big Ten and possibly other conferences are trying their best to fit a season in sometime before 2021.
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