in the United States, university sport threatened by the health crisis

“Respect your opponent” is one of the oldest aphorisms in sport, said the American magazine Sports Illustrated July 8. However, for the weekly, the United States has not taken the threat posed by the Covid-19 epidemic seriously and is now paying a high price. The country is now the most affected in the world by the disease, both in number of cases and in terms of deaths, and contamination continues to increase in the South and West.

It is in this context that the Ivy League – which brings together eight prestigious universities in the northeast of the country: Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania – decided on Wednesday 8 July, not to compete in any sports competition until the end of the year.

Consistent with campus health & safety policies across the League, The Ivy League Presidents outline phased-in appr… https://t.co/E4guJWMqF7

— IvyLeague (@The Ivy League)

To limit the risk of the virus spreading, many establishments in the country have set up distance courses or limit gatherings, visits and the movement of students and staff on their campuses. ” The taken procedures (…) make it difficult to hold competitions, at least until the end of the fall session [en décembre] », insisted Ivy League director Robin Harris at ESPN sports channel. Uncertainty remains as to the possibilities of resuming competitions from the start of the 2021 academic year or of postponing some of them until spring.

Contamination with Covid-19 within sports teams – whether university or not – is relatively common. The Los Angeles Times echoed, on July 8, seven positive cases in one of the sports programs at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and growing fear among the parents of the students.

For many sports media across the Atlantic, the Ivy League decision is only the beginning of a movement that will spread to other establishments. Since then, several leagues, such as the California Community College Athletic Association or the Big Ten, have taken similar measures.

“March madness” canceled

The daily USA Today recalls that, in early March, the Ivy League was the first to withdraw its participation in the final basketball tournaments, male and female, before the epidemic reached the northeast of the United States. The other universities had followed suit and « March Madness » (“The madness of March”) had been canceled two days later, making this date « “THE” worst day in the history of university sport “according to Sports Illustrated.

Because this tournament, which counts among the most awaited events behind the Super Bowl, is a huge source of income – in television rights and advertising in particular – for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which organizes the sports programs of many great schools and universities in United States. This year, without this “March madness,” the shortfall for the NCAA reached several hundred million dollars, much of which was to be distributed to its member schools.

The local newspaper The Philadelphia Inquirer pointed out, in an article published at the end of March, that these funds represent only a small part of the receipts of most establishments. But fundraising, marketing and sponsorship or the sale of tickets are also directly impacted by the cessation of competitions and the health crisis.

“Imagine starting a fundraiser right now, argued to the newspaper a sports director. It’s very delicate (…) People see the world very differently now. Budgets (…) are going to take a hit. “The number of sporting opportunities will be reduced”, then predicted at Philadelphia Inquirer Delaware Valley sports director Dave Duda.

According to the Associated Press, at least 171 sports programs have been cut at American universities since the start of the pandemic. On July 9, Dartmouth announced that it would end five of its programs. In total, around 110 student-athletes are affected and the jobs of 15 people, including 8 coaches, are eliminated. And if the Ivy League universities do not offer sports grants, this is not the case for many institutions across the country, where, without financial assistance, university registration fees remain inaccessible for many young people.

Hours before the July 8 Ivy League announcement, Stanford, Calif., Reported that eleven of its 36 sports programs were cut at the end of the 2020-2021 school year, impacting 240 students and 22 coaches and 20 management positions. “As you can imagine, this day is a heartbreak for all of us, reacted the university sports director, Bernard Muir. We came to this decision only after exhausting all other viable alternatives. “ Faced with financial difficulties, Stanford has a deficit of nearly $ 25 million.

The consequences of these decisions could eventually be felt on athletic performance in the United States and in major international competitions. Stanford, for example, has been a breeding ground for top athletes for a quarter of a century Sports Illustrated : “National champions and Olympic athletes grow there like the huge palm trees that line the entrance to the school. “ American universities are also one of the royal avenues for access to professional leagues (NBA, NFL, NHL, etc.).