Report: MEAC cancels football season

Posted by Darin Gantt on July 16, 2020, 11:42 AM EDT
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The list of colleges stepping away from college football is growing, with another Division I conference calling its fall season.

According to Steven Gaither of HBCUGameday.com, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference has decided it won’t play football in 2020.

The conference of historically black colleges and universities would join the Ivy League and the Patriots League in canceling football for the fall. All three are members of Division I’s FCS level.

The MEAC includes Bethune-Cookman, Delaware State, Florida A&M, Howard, Morgan State, Norfolk State, North Carolina A&T, North Carolina Central, and South Carolina State.

Players at North Carolina A&T and Florida A&M have already tested positive for COVID-19 since they returned to campus for workouts in July.

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17 responses to “Report: MEAC cancels football season”

  2. The MEAC may not very well exist in two or three years. Two Florida teams are leaving for the SWAC. Theyre losing NC AT to the Big South. SWAC is a soon to be super conference that will be more exciting to watch than any FCS or 1AA league that’s ever existed.

  3. You know is not happy about this….the players! That age group is affected no worse than the annual flu, but let’s act like we are protecting their lives. Coaches can mask up if they are worried, but guys like Saban and Belichick don’t seem to advocating for no season and they are both near 70.

  4. So, the overrated ESS EEE CEE is going to be hit hardest. If it’s conference games only, they have to abandon the 8 game model. Also, without the gate receipts that means they can’t schedule some weak sauce D1AA school to get in 3 easy wins for about $2.5 million. Hopefully this virus claims one thing out of this; namely scheduling cupcakes in favor of other power 5 teams for OOC games or at the very least MAC, AAC, or WAC teams.

  5. These kids must be scrambling to find a program. When/if the college teams hit the fields I am guessing the rosters will be stuffed with tallent.

  6. LOTS of untapped and unrecognized talent on these rosters – several Power 5 teams will benefit greatly from this decision in my view.

  7. That age group is affected no worse than the annual flu, but let’s act like we are protecting their lives

    They aren’t protecting their lives. They are protecting the elderly and compromised people they may come in contact with while infected. Don’t you understand that?

  8. Let’s see how good the “top” conferences are when they can’t line up cupcake teams….if there even is football.

  9. They have to cancel because they make their seasonal money needs off of the 1 or 2 games against the power 5 schools in the college football “preseason”. Without inter-conference games, this small conference cant pay for its sports self.

    I still have no clue how conference vs interconference helps anything. Should have stuck with the original schedules. Now look at the distater for these small schools and kids.

  10. The draft for the next NFL season will be filled with lots of question marks beyond if there will even be a 2021 season.

    Just remember, the NFL has already anointed the Baltimore Murdering Black Birds as the NFL champs and Lame will win season and Snoopy Bowl MVP awards and he can stand outside of Disney world whining that he can’t get in because his life matters.

  11. You can lose a career to an illness. Most pitchers lose their career before age 21. Works both ways. Might save a career.

    Of course they want to play. Same reason you send 18 y/o’s off to War. Being invincible is rampant at that age.

    But go ahead, play. This illness is WAY worse than people realize. Tom Hanks alluded to attention span. I haven’t gotten mine back. No TV since March. That’s a record for me. So roll the dice with your kid because you want to live through them. Let them decide and of course they will go off to War. How about just being responsible adults?

  12. Outside of a few big schools/conferences, college football is not profitable. Not saying that profit is the end all, but a lot of colleges are struggling with budgets. Some programs may not come back.

  13. psubeerman21 says:
    July 16, 2020 at 1:00 pm
    That age group is affected no worse than the annual flu, but let’s act like we are protecting their lives

    They aren’t protecting their lives. They are protecting the elderly and compromised people they may come in contact with while infected. Don’t you understand that?
    —————–
    So shutting off the season will end the virus is what you are saying….the players will in no way, shape or form come into contact with anyone on campus, at a bar, party or elsewhere that may have the virus? I have 3 college aged kids and my son is still preparing for his 1st college FB season and I hope to heck it does not get cancelled. 2 of my kids were recently exposed to it at HS grad parties….we’re all still alive and well. Those at risk will no be attending games and if they choose to, that’s their decision. The kids will stay away from their old loved ones for the season, they don’t have much free time the way it is…..it’s called using common sense.

  15. I still have no clue how conference vs interconference helps anything

    —————-

    NON conference games pay the Bills. OSU etc plays a crap team or 3 every year. They pay HUGE amounts for the automatic win slash break week. The crap school gets a big payday for taking the hit.

    As far as the smaller schools: Some teams in the Patriot League will play against the Ivy League or other leagues, otherwise it’s a waste. Colgate’s hockey team is an example.

  16. Conferences without major TV deals will have a tough time playing without fans since attendance is the majority of revenue for them. Throw in the fact that it appears the major conferences may all ditch out-of-conference games and this season would be a complete money-loser for smaller schools. Lots of these programs barely cover costs even in normal years.

  17. north25a says:

    NON conference games pay the Bills. OSU etc plays a crap team or 3 every year. They pay HUGE amounts for the automatic win slash break week. The crap school gets a big payday for taking the hit.
    ———————
    I get that – I even mentioned the payday in my comment. What i was saying is how does eliminating non-conference games change the covid spread*? Its just stupid eliminainting non-conference games.

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