Ivy League Postpones Fall Collegiate Sports to Spring 2021

The GIST: As we anticipate the return of so many pro sports, the college sports world is not looking great: it seems like a few sports won’t be coming back this year...or ever.

The big picture: Earlier this week, most Ivy League schools announced they’re going online for the fall semester and because of that they’re also postponing fall collegiate sports until the spring. And yes, that includes football.

• This is a BFD not only because people are obsessed with college football, but also because football represents a huge part of most colleges’ revenue, which is then used to help fund less financially lucrative sports (think: fencing, wrestling, rowing).

An example: Yesterday, Stanford University — which has produced numerous Olympians and national champions, and counts golfer Tiger Woods and soccer star Julie Foudy as alums — announced they will be cutting 11 of their 36 varsity teams. Without the cuts, the school has said they would lose an estimated $70 million from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the loss of the football season. Whoa.

• The good news? The school will honor any athletic scholarships for affected students. And, if pandemic measures allow it, the school will let the 11 sports continue during the 2020–21 school year, but they will have to transition the teams to club sports (which means no funding) by the start of the 2021 academic year.