Last week, we reported that Michigan Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer was reportedly blocking a plan for Ohio State University to possibly save the upcoming college football season.
According to Outkick, reporting from MLive, Whitmer told reporters that she “was glad” that the Big Ten canceled its upcoming season.
Whitmer said:
“I was glad that the Big Ten took the leadership role that they did. Obviously they’ve got huge universities and they’ve got people who are on all of these campuses that are working to try to address the COVID pandemic that we’re all struggling with.
“Football is a very intimate sport where you are up in one another’s faces. That’s what makes it inherently risky, so that’s my concern. I love football. I wanted to be a sports broadcaster. I don’t like not seeing football this fall, but I’m glad that the Big Ten took the leadership they did and the (Michigan) High School Sports Association did as well.”
Outkick continues by saying that Ohio State’s idea of a six-team, 10-week season was doomed to fail because Whitmer never would’ve allowed the Michigan Wolverines to play.
Outkick continues by talking about the flawed data used by the conference commissioner Kevin Warren as cover for the Big Ten’s cancelation, and the impact it’s having on other areas, including season ticket money and budget cuts to athletic departments:
“It didn’t matter one bit that a University of Michigan cardiologist and his cardiologist friend over in London said the conference was promoting flawed data as cover for canceling the season. The Whitmer/Warren 2020 ticket had the Big Ten fall football season locked down and nothing was going to stop these two from loosening the grip.
“Now Iowa’s cutting four sports. Even Ohio State is calling for $58 million in budget cuts to its athletic department. Back in June, Michigan was facing a $61 million decline in revenue. Wolverines fans received an email in early August asking them what they wanted to do with money paid for season tickets. Donating that money to the school was an option. That’s where we’re at right now in the Big Ten. Not only are fans losing the one thing in life they live for, but then they’re asked if they would be willing to just give that ticket money to the school for nothing in return.”
It is so unfortunate that what is meant to distract us from politics has, in fact, become politicized as well.
