Since the Big Ten athletic conference canceled its fall sports season, the presidents of all teams have been working feverishly to find a way to squeeze a perfunctory, wonky season into the 2020-21 academic year. While there is nothing I want more than to sit at home on a Saturday in November and watch “The Game,” this is not the year it should happen.

This year more than ever has shown how much of a money grab college football truly is. How is it safe for the biggest stars in America to play a contact sport, while their fellow classmates and student-athletes at the Div. II and III and junior college level have to sit on the sidelines? Oh that’s right, I forgot that COVID-19 does not apply to multi-billion dollar industries—oh wait, it does. There were rumblings that the MLB should cancel its season due to COVID-19, and those are paid athletes and adults. 

Is it even fair to trust college students to stay on campus without partying? We saw it at SUNY Oneonta, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and countless other schools that have gone online. I am not blaming the college-athletes, but rather the students and institutions that felt the country was ready to see millions of students travel across the country, bringing their germs and potentially COVID-19 across state lines.

Getting back to college athletics, does the Big Ten actually think that the pandemic will be subdued in November or the heart of winter when it wants to start its season? We are expected to get hit by a second wave by then, even though we are still working through the first wave from six months ago. 

I feel awful for every college athlete and local business that has been affected by the cancellations. Personally, I was crushed to hear Div. III was suspending play until Jan. 1. As a member of the student-media at Oswego State, I was looking forward to calling games across every sport. I had the chance to commentate for the men’s hockey team’s outdoor game against Utica College, a dream come true. I desperately want sports to come back, but the health of student-athletes, coaches and our country as a whole is more important. 

If the Big Ten brings football back and Penn State’s field hockey or volleyball team is still on a break, how is that fair? The conference would implicitly be telling those athletes that they do not matter or are not as important as football players. Again, it all comes down to money. 

I understand that some student-athletes feel more comfortable at school than a potentially troubled home life. But, these athletes are still on campus, like most universities. Joe Burrow, formerly of Louisiana State University, said that he would be a sixth round draft pick if not for his final college season, implying that he would want to play this season. I respectfully disagree with that claim, because the players will receive a COVID-19 redshirt, meaning their eligibility would carry over to next year. In that case, Burrow would still have a shot at an undefeated season, just one year later. The “Tiger King” would receive his crown and become the top pick in the draft, again just one year later.

As someone who is looking to enter sports media after graduation, I love sports. Sports are a huge part of my life but so are my family and friends. Sports should never take precedence over human lives. That is why the Big Ten canceled its fall season. But now, as it looks to reschedule its games before a vaccine is widely available, all it shows is that the greed in college athletics is at an all time high. And, the Big Ten ought to be ashamed of itself for its half-hearted attempt to do the right thing.

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