President Trump released a statement advocating for a fall college football season to take place amid reports the season will be postponed until the spring.
Among those most devastated by the loss of Big Ten football in 2020 are the players themselves. Stars like Ohio State’s Justin Fields will miss out on a whole season of games, while players in other conferences now face the possibility of their games getting canceled in 2020 as well. In response to the threat of a fall without football, Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and several other stars created the #WeWantToPlay movement, which calls for, among other things, enhanced COVID-19 testing and the formation of a united coalition of players.
Lawrence’s platform has the support of the President of the United States, as Donald Trump quoted the projected No. 1 overall pick’s original tweet. He used it as a chance to urge the decision-makers in college football to throw caution to the wind and play games in 2020.
“The student-athletes have been working too hard for their season to be cancelled.”
The student-athletes have been working too hard for their season to be cancelled. #WeWantToPlay https://t.co/lI3CCKZ4ID
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 10, 2020
President Trump wants college football this fall.
https://twitter.com/MalloryBlount45/status/1292881449759236099
The Big Ten will soon confirm the cancellation of their season, and the Pac-12 may soon follow their lead, according to Dan Patrick. The Big 12 remains undecided.
Trump is not the only Republican political figure to advocate for a college football season in 2020, as former Midland University president and Nebraska senator Ben Sasse wrote a letter to the Big Ten urging them to start the season soon rather than canceling it.
Not only has the 2020 season become a political issue, but the president himself has weighed in on the matter in a very direct way. Time will tell if his words actually influence anyone within college football.
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