ITHACA, N.Y. (NCC NEWS) — College commissioners around the country are deciding on the logistics of collegiate sports this fall. Power 5 conferences such as the Big Ten and Pac-12 have made amendments to their schedules to help fight the spread of COVID-19. The Ivy League decided to cancel fall sports altogether.
When the news came out that the Ivy League was cancelling all fall sports, Cornell senior Masen Mcmanamon said it was a tough pill to swallow. Despite his own ambitions, he believes the Ivy League made the right decision.
“In a few months from now, if other leagues have their seasons, we’re going to see how detrimental the virus can be and how quickly it can spread,” he said.
Every conference at the Division 1 level provides athletic scholarships for students. The Ivy League conference does not offer athletic scholarships. Instead, the students receive financial aid based on who needs more financial assistance. Mcmanamon believes that the cancellation of fall sports will impact the financial aid packages that Cornell offers.
“I think, maybe a week or so before classes start on [the] 2nd, we’ll find out what our financial aid packages will look like,” Mcmanamon said. “From there, the students and families will get the chance to look that over and decide if they want to stay enrolled or take a leave of absence.”
Ivy League student athletes, particularly seniors, face another difficult dilemma this fall. Since the Ivy League does not allow graduate students to participate in athletics, this will force many to take a leave of absence from school in order to get their senior seasons back.
“A lot of guys are expecting our next season to be in the fall of 2021, so if they want to participate in that season, the senior class will have to take a semester off because they’re too far academically progressed,” he said. “Cornell would not see a need for them to be enrolled for three more semesters.”
Initially, Mcmanamon was saddened by the fact that he potentially played his last down as a college football player. Based on the pending financial package he receives in the fall, the cancellation may have been a blessing in disguise.
“So we get another year to get bigger, faster, stronger, know the system better, and get better acclimated with the team,” he said.
He said that this extra year of training can eventually turn into a special next year.
“Depending on the way college football looks next year, the Ivy League has a chance to broadcast more nationally — get more recognition for our games and get our names more out there,” he said.
