BEN SERSEN

       As the NFL kicks off their season, college football has shown a much different approach.      

     With the conferences of the NCAA at a split decision, most players and coaches are still left to wonder about the possibility of a season meanwhile other teams have made a decision to postpone or cancel the season. Some of the biggest names in college football have taken to twitter to express their opinion using “#WeWantToPlay.” 

     The ACC rookie of the year Trevor Lawrence tweeted out “People are at just as much, if not more risk, if we don’t play” in a three post Twitter thread. The Archie Griffin award winner also claimed “We are more likely to get the virus in everyday life than playing football. Having a season also incentivizes players being safe and taking all of the right precautions to try to avoid contracting covid because the season/teammates safety is on the line.” 

     The movement is gaining so much traction that even President Donald Trump tweeted out “Play college football!” Players Joe Burrow, Justin Fields, and Byron Young are backing the movement on Twitter as well. Coaches have even given their two-cents on the movement with Nick Saban claiming that he supports the WeWantToPlay hashtag. 

     Saban also stated, “I want to play, but I want to play for the players’ sake, the value they can create for themselves,” The six time champion has been commended by others for creating value, coaching talents such as Minkah Fitzpatrick, Derrick Henry, and Julio Jones at the top of a long list of NFL stars produced by the coach. 

     Another coach supporting the trend is Florida Gators coach Dan Mullen, The two time BCS national champion tweeted “I am so proud of our players. Their commitment to medical guidelines to stay safe has show[n] their resolve in preparing the right way for the season. They deserve to play this fall. They have worked so hard for this. Let’s fight for them and find a way. #WeWantToPlay.” 

     With coaches, players, and even the president of the United States of America backing the movement, the consensus seems clear that the players want to play. However, this is not always the case. 

     Players such as All Americans Micah Parsons (Penn State), Caleb Farley (Virginia Tech), and Rondale Moore (Purdue) have all opted out of the 2020 season due to health concerns.       

Micah Parsons took to twitter to voice his decision claiming “As I considered my options for the 2020 season, I decided that I needed to make a choice not for myself, but for my son and those dearest to me,”  He added, “While I felt safe with the health and safety standards as we returned to Penn State for workouts, the potential risk to the health and well-being of my son far outweighed my urge to play football season.”      

      This change has had a trickle down effect on highschools with 17 states choosing to postpone high school sports including (but not limited to) Maryland, California, Virginia, New york, and many more. High schools are showing to have an effect on the college conferences, an example of this being the Big Ten making the decision to start playing football. The Cleveland Browns are playing in Ohio and the state has allowed high school football as well however the Ohio State Buckeyes were unable to play due to the Big Ten postponing the season.     

      Maryland, also in the Big Ten,  has been unable to play after all athletic training activities were paused after 46 positive covid-19 cases in two days.