Trump Says ‘Play College Football!’ As Plans For A Season Are Falling Apart

TOPLINE

President Donald Trump and prominent Republicans are publicly saying they want to see a college football season in the fall, as plans for the 2020 season are unraveling, with one of the top conferences reportedly deciding to cancel its season.

KEY FACTS

CRITICAL QUOTE

“Here’s the reality: Many of you think that football is safer than no football, but you also know that you will be blamed if there is football, whereas you can duck blame if you cancel football,” Sasse wrote in his letter to Big Ten presidents and chancellors.

KEY BACKGROUND

Republicans pushing for college football to go on in the fall might be as much about politics as it is about wanting to see their favorite teams take the field. According to an analysis by FiveThirtyEight, college football had a greater interest level in markets President Donald Trump fared well in during the 2016 election compared to other sports, like the MLB, NFL and NASCAR.

SURPRISING FACT

Some top college football players, including Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, want the season to go on, and have sent out tweets with the hashtag #WeWantToPlay. Trump shared Lawrence’s message Monday.

TANGENT

College football is especially popular in the South, and some top officials had used the concern about losing a season to motivate residents to follow public health guidelines. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) said “I want to see college football this fall” after he issued a statewide mask-wearing mandate last week. In Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) is known for his support for the LSU Tigers football team and his friendship with its head coach, Ed Orgeron. Edwards had said that he hoped to be in Tiger Stadium “yelling for the Tigers,” but he’s been unable to say recently what a game day this fall would look like, as Louisiana has dealt with a coronavirus uptick.

WHAT WE DON’T KNOW

If there is a season, it’s not clear how many fans, if any, would be allowed into stadiums to watch games in person.

FURTHER READING

Big Ten And Pac-12 Will Cancel Football Seasons On Tuesday: Reports (Forbes)

Sources: SEC Presidents Set for Impromptu Monday Meeting (Sports Illustrated)

How Every NFL Team’s Fans Lean Politically (FiveThirtyEight)