• Loading stock data...
Friday, November 22, 2024

Fundamentals: Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby

Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby joined guest host Emily Caron on the penultimate episode of a three-part collegiate series of Fundamentals with Ian Thomas. The pair talked at length about how the coronavirus may forever change college sports, as well as Bowlsby’s involvement in the future of NIL rule changes.

On college sports coming back – 1:41: 

Bowlsby: “There’s likely to be a new reality that we’re all going to be dealing with. I don’t believe we’re going back to the old normal and so we’re going to have to get accustomed to that. I think it’s true in athletics, but it’s also true in virtually every walk of our lives.

We’re going to have to get comfortable with the fact that the virus is going to be around for awhile, and it may change the way we prepare our facilities. That may change the way we prepare ourselves. “

Planning on the return to play – 3:32: 

Bowlsby: “I don’t think there’s anybody around who can forecast just exactly what that looks like. And so that means we have to do a lot of scenario planning. And that means we have to hope for good outcomes. But I don’t think much of hope as a strategy. And I think we have to also at the same time plan for the various eventualities. And there are lots of them because there are many, many inputs and many variables that have to be taken into account.”

Athletics’ importance to society – 5:51: 

Bowlsby: “Athletics are important to our schools. They’re important for the institution’s brand. They’re important for the lifestyle of the students and important for the culture of the university. And so it’s one of the things that’s most difficult for our American population to do without. We love our sports and we love our competition and we love trying to figure out who’s number one. And it’s going to take all of us with our hands on the oars to decide when it’s time to go back to campus. And then from the athletic standpoint, we just have to make sure that we do it the right way.”

What goes back into ensuring athletes and fans are safe – 6:32:

Bowlsby: “We have to make sure that locker rooms are properly sanitized along with weight rooms and training rooms. The personnel are tested and that there are, whether it’s an antibody test or a point-of-contact test, or taking everybody’s temperature every day when they come in.

This is a very virulent virus and it’s going to be around for awhile. It’s like chickenpox or like HIV or like SARS or MERS. It isn’t going away. We may be able to mitigate its impact and mitigate how deadly it is by getting a vaccine. But it isn’t going to go away immediately and we’re going to be living with it for a while. So we need to figure out how to coexist.”

On future disruptions – 8:55:

Bowlsby: “It’s hard to imagine that we’re going to get all the way through a fall and a winter sports season without institutions having flare ups. I just think college campuses are Petri dishes for infectious diseases. They always are. There’s lots of people and they’re living in close quarters and they’re partying and interfacing and there’s just lots going on.”

“Some of that is going to find itself in the athletics population. And one of the things that’s very difficult about this virus is you can carry it for a long time before you know you’re infected. And so you can infect a great many other people prior to the time you even know that you’ve come in contact with the disease.”

“And so I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect that there will be disruptions during the season. And that’s where the split season comes from. I don’t think we would ever schedule to play a split season in football or basketball or anything else. But if we got to the middle of the season and found that infections were running wild we may very well be forced into that sort of choice.”

When plans start coming together – 12:55: 

Bowlsby: “By the middle of July, we’re going to have to have a pretty good indication that we can go back to practicing and getting prepared or we’re not going to be able to play on Labor Day weekend. And that’s when we have to start making some decisions about what that structure looks like during the fall.”

Will fans love sports the same – 26:02: 

Bowlsby: “It’s part of the fabric of capitalism that we compete with one another. And so I think the appetite for sports will continue. I think the manner in which we consume it will probably evolve in the short term and may even evolve over the long term.”

Thoughts on NIL rule changes – 28:41: 

Bowlsby: “I have to admit, my thinking on it has changed substantially over the time I’ve been involved in the working group because if all these governmental agencies, including the federal government, are going to get involved in this, we need to accept that it’s going to happen and help to shape how it plays itself out. And so that’s really the process that we’re in right now.”

Bowlsby’s appearance wrapped up a three-part college athletics series on Fundamentals. The other guests were Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott and on Learfield IMG College CEO Cole Gahagan.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

The Big Noon Debate: Will Ohio State’s Early Games Lead to Change?

The Buckeyes will end the season with seven noon ET kickoffs.

Old Rivals, New Stakes: Notre Dame and Army to Clash in Yankee..

The two schools are playing for the first time since 2016.
Geno Auriemma

Geno Auriemma Becomes All-Time Winningest NCAA Basketball Coach

He took the record from Tara VanDerveer, who set it in January.
podcast thumbnail mobile
Front Office Sports Today

What’s Next for Hapless Jets?

0:00

Featured Today

Nov 16, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman (2) celebrates after defeating NJ/NY Gotham FC in a 2024 NWSL Playoffs semifinal match at Audi Field. Mandatory Credit:

The Washington Spirit’s Business Makeover Carried Them to the Finals

The team’s return to the NWSL championship looks a lot different from 2021.
Nov 18, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Williams Racing driver Logan Sargeant of the United States (2) during the Las Vegas Grand Prix at Las Vegas Strip Circuit.
November 21, 2024

F1 Grand Prix Upended Vegas Last Year. Stakes Are High for Its..

Stakes are high as F1 gears up for a successful second act.
Classic Football Shirts New York Pop-Up
November 18, 2024

Vintage Soccer Jerseys Have Found a Sweet Spot in the Lucrative U.S...

The money-making shirts are at the prime intersection of memorabilia and fashion.
Nov 13, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) reacts after fouling Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (not pictured) during the second half at Madison Square Garden.
opinion
November 16, 2024

NBA Ratings Rorschach Test: Buy the Dip

Was it the election? Too many threes? Lack of storylines?

Fundamentals: Andrea Williams (Women In Sports)

Welcome to the latest episode of Fundamentals, a Front Office Sports interview…
November 17, 2020

Fundamentals: Women In Esports

On this episode of Fundamentals, three guests join the show to discuss the opportunities for women in the gaming industry, as well as the challenges they face.
February 24, 2021

Fundamentals: Women in Sports

Welcome to the latest episode of Fundamentals, a Front Office Sports interview…
Sponsored

How UBS Crafts Impactful Partnerships Across Sports, Arts, and Culture

As UBS continues to expand its impressive array of sports and entertainment partnerships, the company solidifies its position as a leader in wealth management.
September 22, 2020

Fundamentals: USTA CEO Michael Dowse

Dowse, the CEO and executive director of the national governing body for tennis, discussed the unique challenges of a fan-less US Open and growing the sport in the U.S.
July 28, 2020

Fundamentals: RISE CEO Diahann Billings-Burford

Diahann Billings-Burford is the CEO of RISE, a national nonprofit whose mission is to use sports as a means of eliminating racial discrimination and acting as a vehicle for social justice and societal equality.
July 24, 2020

Fundamentals: MLL Commissioner Sandy Brown

Sandy Brown — commissioner of Major League Lacrosse — discusses the logistics and realities of the league’s return to play with a single-location tournament format, along with the growth of the sport as a whole.
July 17, 2020

Fundamentals: Evil Geniuses CEO Nicole LaPointe Jameson

Nicole LaPointe Jameson, CEO of professional esports team Evil Geniuses, discusses the state of esports and what is next for the organization.