If the record television ratings for the NFL Draft and ESPN’s Chicago Bulls documentary tell us anything it’s that the American people are craving normalcy and sports back in their lives.
As social distancing and quarantine reach into a second month in the state of Florida and around the country people are yearning for some semblance of normalcy in their lives. The administrators and decision-makers in college football have been meeting on a daily basis trying to figure out just how to safely bring a college football season back in 2020.
There have been numerous scenarios thrown around. Could the conference play just each other? Could a season start in January or February and still work. With classes at universities moved to online all over the country can you have a football season when schools don’t have students online?
There are more questions than answers but you can always look to the return of sports as a barometer of the health of America.
“I think sports in America is such a huge part of our culture. You know, and any time we’ve dealt with major adversity, you think a lot of the things, you go back… just the image of what sports was able to do, even though sports returned, of seeing President Bush out there throwing the first pitch of the World Series after 9/11,” Dan Mullen recalled. “After you go through massive tragedies there’s so many things that sports bring back together. Just the lasting memory of what sports are that are so special.
The logistics of having college football back are confusing. Is it a season with just conference games? Can you play those games in empty stadiums? Is there a playoff? How would teams travel? Just getting teams and players ready for a season would be a task.
The first step would be getting the players physically ready. Since quarantine started the players have been going through a virtual strength and conditioning program with Nick Savage and they have been in meetings with their position coaches for the past month but that can only do so much.
Mullen recalled when he was playing Division III football, where they would only get four weeks to prepare for their season, but that wouldn’t be ideal for this level.
“Obviously the sooner we get our guys back, the better, the less time you need. Is there – because part of it is, ‘can you get away with four weeks of practice?’ yes, if…you had two or three weeks of 10 guys at a time in the weight room. Or, you know, some other sort of physical testing and training. I think the consensus; I think everybody would like to have eight weeks,” Mullen said. “I think six weeks is where everybody kinda feels like they could get comfortable. You know, even within the NCAA I think you’re pressing it with, once you get down to four weeks.”
According to Mullen, the Florida Gators don’t have anyone on the team or their families physically afflicted with COVID-19. That isn’t the case for every football team or university.
Social distancing seems to have worked in flattening the curve or slowing the spread of the pandemic but that doesn’t mean we as a country are back to normal or that things will ever be the “normal” that we used to have. Getting sports back is a big part of “normal” in our country and Mullen is still holding out hope that football can be part of the healing process.
“I’m certainly hopeful. I’m sure as everybody is out there. Hopeful that we find a vaccine and a cure. Hopeful that people are working hard to limit the spread of everything going on. Hopeful that people are trying as best they can to follow the regulations and making the most out of each day that’s going on,” he said. “And hopeful we get back to whatever our new normal is going to be, and that includes having a football season this fall. I would say I’m much more hopeful than optimistic.”