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What College Players Think About Coming Back

There are plenty of fans that advocate and want the 2020 college football season to continue. However, there hasn’t been much thought about what the athletes think of the comeback from the coronavirus lockdown.

At the end of the day, it is their safety at stake. Professional athletes are starting to come out and voice their opinion on whether or not coming back is worth it.

There will be a significant number of safety precautions that would need to take place in the college season. They have just begun to return to practice and training back on college campuses.

Because of the return, there have been some positive tests for the coronavirus. Coming back may result in some athletes having to sit out or remain in quarantine for several games or practices.

ESPN talked with 73 college football players to try to gauge how they felt about returning. They kept their names confidential.

They were asked if they were comfortable practicing and playing games without a coronavirus vaccine. Sixty-four players said yes, eight players said no, and one said somewhat.

“I would be perfectly fine practicing and playing games. There’s an assumption of risk whenever you play the sport, to begin with, and I don’t think adding the virus to that changes anything for the coaches or players,” one player said.

More Than Just Games

Most feel comfortable playing, but that comes with some lines that they believe can’t be crossed. One player mentioned that it would not be worth it if they had to be in quarantine the whole time. Not being able to see family and friends might be the deciding factor for them.

Another big issue would be playing in stadiums without fans. College players get a lot of their passion and drive from the loud crowds that come to their games. It might be harder to play at their full potential without the impact of the crowd.

The 73 players were asked if they were willing to play in empty stadiums. Fifty-nine said yes, 13 said no, and one said it would depend.

“The first time will probably be a little weird, but at the same time we have scrimmages against each other all the time, and we’re out there playing live, and nobody’s in the stands, and we’re out there having fun.”

It seems like almost every player would prefer fans in the stands. However, if it comes between playing without fans or not at all, these players would rather play.

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh has voiced his opinion on this subject as well. He would much rather play in empty stadiums than have to sit out the entire season.

Preparing As They Can

Universities across the country are trying to get their players ready in time for the season. Even though they are back practicing, it doesn’t mean practices are back to normal. Social distancing is still being observed.

The players were asked how long they need to get prepared for the season.

  • Four weeks: 17
  • Six weeks: 37
  • Eight weeks: 17
  • More than eight weeks: 1
  • Whatever the NCAA says: 1

It seems student-athletes want to play, but it can’t be at too great of a cost.

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