How pandemic is affecting college athletic departments

The COVID-19 pandemic halted sports as March Madness was to begin. In April we asked athletic directors at Northwestern and Northern Illinois universities about the ramifications.

DH: This story broke quickly during the men's conference basketball tournaments and has been evolving seemingly by the hour ever since. What has it been like fas an athletic director dealing with so many emotional situations and also difficult economic realities?

Jim Phillips, NU: So much has unspooled so quickly since that week I was in New York with the NCAA Men's Basketball Committee. In a matter of hours we went from conference tournaments tipping off to the entire sports world grinding to a halt. From that moment my entire focus has been on our 523 student-athletes, first making sure they all reached a safe destination, then being certain we could support their health and well-being from afar, and now ensuring they're prepared for success (for the) spring academic quarter like never before.

Sean Frazier, NIU: Starting with the basketball, the first time in a long time our men's basketball team was coming off a share of the MAC West championship and riding high. We decided to cancel our tournament. Emotionally you have seniors, you have so many different people affected. And then the cancellation of spring sports and now the incredible loss of life that's happening across our country. We've been dealing with it day in and day out, the decisions impacted change by the hour, sometimes by the minute, definitely by the day as how our campus reacts to COVID-19.

DH: Did you agree with the decision to grant spring sports athletes an extra year of eligibility, and what financial problems does that present?

Phillips: I'm thrilled for the student-athletes who have an additional opportunity to compete. For many, this was their final chance at something a lifetime of work went into making possible. There is no doubt about the financial challenge an unplanned extra year of education presents for athletic departments across the country. But that's just one of many questions we're going to answer over the coming months, with a complete focus on what is right for our student-athletes.

Frazier: I support that. I applaud the legislation, the only thing I would have liked to have seen is a financial model attached that would support institutions like myself and others that this will be a financial hardship. It will be a financial hardship but for the right reasons. At the end of the day it's a complex decision.

DH: There's been speculation from college analysts like Kirk Herbstreit that there won't be a 2020 college football season. Is this a scenario you see as a possibility?

Phillips: We are planning for all possible futures, balancing optimism with the reality that the next few months are unknown and health professionals will help us all determine when it's safe to resume hosting and attending events.

Frazier: It's talked about all the time, the what-if scenarios, the worst case scenarios. This whole issue of not having a season, that is having shock waves throughout the industry. The other is a postponement, maybe start Oct. 1, Nov. 1, Dec. 1. What would it look like if we don't do a nonconference schedule, only have a conference schedule. You are looking at the financial impact of that. We will probably do that until we definitely know what the scenario might be. It's just too early. I think Kirk has done a good job of what he means to our industry but I think ... COVID-19 is going to dictate this thing.

DH: If the college football season is played, do you see it returning with fans in the stands?

Phillips: As soon as our health professionals determine it's safe to return to arenas and stadiums, I think sports is going to have a pivotal responsibility to bring us back together as a community.

Frazier: We have talked about that as a conference. For me, for a way a lot of my colleagues are looking at this as well, someone would have to stand up with some real credibility in the medical profession, understanding infectious diseases and say, "We can do this if we do X. We can play these games with no fans." OK, how does that impact our students, our coaches, our staffs? Somebody is going to have to tell me something to make me comfortable putting my student-athletes in harm's way. I need more information.

DH: No NCAA tournament and donations are down at many schools. There's uncertainty in the American economy. Financially, what will this mean for college athletics?

Phillips: The impact across our economy is undeniable. It will be different on every campus and in every department, is one thing my conversations have made clear.

Frazier: I have 32 seniors, that's about a half-million dollar financial hit we have not budgeted for, and we have to find (for spring athletes granted an extra year of eligibility). We've got a half-million dollar hit from not having the NCAA tournament. That's the reality. (In the) state of Illinois we are a bit battle tested going through some serious budgetary adversity. This is another test going into the fall.

DH: Knowing the news in the world can change suddenly, what is your expectation for the new sports year?

Phillips: When the 2020-21 sports year at Northwestern begins, our Wildcats will be prepared and excited to make the entire university community proud in competition, in the same way they have continued to make it proud in the classroom and the community during this time.

Frazier: I'm an optimist. I'm a student of history and trends of how things have happened before. If we can get in front of this curve and we can control this thing, we've got (three) months until a conditional football season kicks off. It might be some kind of modified process but I think we'll be in good shape. If not, we will probably be looking at no football or some pretty major adjustments. Right now I'm forecasting I think we'll play in some capacity.

DH: It has been uplifting to see Americans come together in difficult days. How have you experienced this in your athletic department?

Phillips: I've never been more proud of this team I get to work alongside every day. From President Morty Schapiro and Northwestern's senior leadership group, to our coaches and staff, on through our student-athletes, the resilience and resolve I've witnessed during these unprecedented times have made me so proud to be a Wildcat.

Frazier: We have about 130,000 alums in Chicagoland. I've watched the spirit of our alumni, our staff, our first responders, everyone has come together. It's been great to see that, and we're going to need something after this crisis. We're going to need a major movement to keep this level of spirit. Getting to know the best of one another has been a great thing.