Ivy League Cancels All Fall Sports

ESPN is reporting that the Ivy League has canceled all sports for this fall, becoming the first Division 1 conference to say it will not hold sports this upcoming semester due to the coronavirus pandemic. No decision has been made yet about winter and spring sports, or if some fall leagues could be held in early 2021.

Officials with the league say that campus policies for the eight Ivy League schools simply made it impossible to hold sports in that environment. Students will still be allowed to practice on campus but in modified forms.

ESPN says that a number of Ivy League schools have place restrictions on things like travel for faculty and staff. That also includes players and coaches. Some also have strict rules on visitors and social distancing measures that limit the number of people that can be present at gatherings. So what does this mean for other conferences around the nation? You can be sure that they're watching what the Ivy League has already done. The cancelation of fall sports at power schools could also have a ripple effect across sports. Stanford University has announced it is cutting 11 varsity sports due to a drop in revenue. College football revenues at large universities sometimes fund the rest of the athletic department. What happens if there is no college football?

While we wait to see how the NBA fairs in their 'bubble', and if MLB can pull off their smaller season, the real eye is on this fall. Will we have college football or the NFL? The Ivy League canceling is the first domino to fall. The rest won't be far behind.