Sen. Richard Blumenthal: Conferences Should Cancel Fall Sports Like Ivy League

The Ivy League set an example many conferences eventually followed when it canceled its men's and women's basketball tournaments in March, and Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut believes its decision on fall sports should once again set a precedent amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"There's absolutely nothing different between the Ivy League and any division except for the money, to be very blunt," Blumenthal said, per Steve Berkowitz of USA Today. "It's about the money. And if the other schools fail to follow the Ivy League's lead, it will be only because of the money. And, in fact, it will be another misguided act in a long litany of putting school profits ahead of the people who play for them."

The comments come after the Ivy League announced Wednesday that it canceled its fall sports season.

"A decision on the remaining winter and spring sports competition calendar, and on whether fall sport competition would be feasible in the spring, will be determined at a later date," the statement said.

Blumenthal, who went to Harvard as an undergraduate and Yale for law school, said the Ivy League was "absolutely right on moral and health grounds" and noted every conference is "dealing with the same health threats and the same age population and the same vulnerabilities when students play football and other sports that either involve contact or close proximity."

After the Ivy League canceled its men's and women's basketball tournaments, the Power Five conferences all eventually followed suit. The NCAA also canceled the men's and women's NCAA tournaments and the entirety of the spring sports schedule.

College athletics, like so many other areas in the United States, has dealt with increasing COVID-19 concerns as the numbers continue to go up in a variety of places across the country.

On Wednesday, Ohio State announced it suspended voluntary workouts for seven sports, including football and both basketball teams, following positive tests for student-athletes.

Bryan Fischer of College Football Talk noted Ohio State joined North Carolina, Kansas, Texas, Kansas State, Houston, Boise State and Arizona in making such a decision. What's more, Clemson, LSU and Texas were among the high-profile programs with a number of positive tests among players since they returned to campuses for voluntary workouts.

As of Wednesday, the United States has the most confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the world at more than three million and the most deaths resulting from the virus at more than 132,000.