Ohio State Football: We lost more than just football games

The Ohio State football team saw its season ripped up from underneath them yesterday and the postponement is bigger than football — it’s about livelihood. Also, what do people do on Saturday afternoons now that there’s no Buckeye football?

2020 has taken turn after turn as we’re becoming conditioned to expect the unexpected. A few months ago, it looked like the Big Ten’s decision to postpone the fall season would be our reality, but then conditions improved and a schedule got released. The Ohio State football team was primed for a historic season.

The emotional roller coaster had finally hit the final stretch before exiting back to adjusted normal life in the fall. But then just six days after the revised schedule debuted, the candy was taken from the baby as the season was postponed.

Coaches, parents, players, and fans alike all felt blindsided as they voiced their opinions via their personal Twitter accounts over the last few days. Ohio State’s star QB Justin Fields and Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence led the #WeWantToPlay movement which even gained support from President Trump.

There is no question this virus is real, however, the argument of the players being safer with their respective athletic teams having access to the institution’s resources is also true. The athletes are consistently monitored and constantly tested to ensure the safest protocols and practices are in place during this fluid situation.

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For the players, each situation at home is different. Some families may have financial hardships or members of the family who are high risk or already ill. Whereas the environments at each university are controlled with top physicians, trainers, coaches, and educators all on hand to assist the athletes.

As of now, the Big 12, SEC, and ACC are all still planning to play; and player safety and welfare are at the forefront of the decision making. So riddle me this, in the state of Iowa it is deemed safe enough for the Iowa State Cyclones to play, but not safe enough for the Iowa Hawkeyes? Science is science — it’s black and white and doesn’t change so where is the uniformity?

In some states, high schoolers can play but not college athletes — some of whom are trying to earn a living off of the sport. If this pandemic happened last year, Joe Burrow would have never gone from a sixth-round pick to being selected No. 1 overall and sign a contract worth tens of millions of dollars.

Moreover, how is it safe enough to reopen Big Ten campuses with tens of thousands of students, but not enough to play football? Yet this fall the players are still allowed to practice or be involved in team-related activities for 20 hours per week despite not having games on the schedule. I’m confused.

The long-term effects of this virus will still not be known in the spring, so it should be all or nothing at this point in terms of collegiate plans for the fall both academically and athletically. It’s been five months, the NCAA should have developed a task force or some form of enhanced leadership during this time.

Growing up in Ohio specifically, Ohio State football is woven into the fabric of culture. It’s God, family, and football, but on Saturdays, in the fall, family and football combine for some of the best memories you’ll ever make.

Watching the Buckeyes on Saturdays was a routine. Those three and a half hours were allotted for each weekend with little to no interruptions. Gameday gear and food were staples as well as the camaraderie with the rest of the fanbase in public.

Saturdays in the fall are more than just a day on the calendar. It’s how most who love the sport navigate for a few months. The games and fandom bring unity and comfort; ritual and routine. The crisp autumn morning breeze unveils and sets the stage for history to be written each weekend.

College football isn’t just a sport, it’s a family filled with passion and pageantry as well as deeply rooted tradition. The ‘i’ in Script Ohio won’t be dotted, the Whiteout in Happy Valley will fall silent, and there will be no one to Jump Around in Camp Randall.

Most importantly, the greatest rivalry in sports won’t get its 2020 edition in Columbus as the Scarlet and Gray and Maize and Blue won’t collide on a frosted green canvas for the first time in over one hundred years.

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Every year gets remembered by something different. Whether it’s a season-defining play or a phrase that will live on in your team’s lore forever. I remember 2012 by LB Zach Boren leveling Michigan QB Devin Gardner and standing over him flexing in celebration.

2013: “Tyvis Powell saves the season” as he intercepts Gardner to seal an emotional victory in the Big House.

2014: “Ezekiel Elliott…and he’s got an opening. Elliott, off to the races! Can they catch him? No they can’t! Touchdown! … 85 yards” (through the heart of the south)!”

2015: “Miller in the shotgun… gets free. On the edge, Braxton Miller’s loose…spin move! Miller headed for the end zone!”

2016: “Samuel, cuts it back. Ohio State wins!”

2017: “Barrett looks, fires…Touchdown Buckeyes! Marcus Baugh! JT Barrett!”

2018: Hanging 62 points on That Team Up North. “And it’s blocked! Ohio State’s got it! Plucked out of the air, towards the end zone. Touchdown Buckeyes!”

2019: Putting up 56 points in the Big House. “Fields to throw it. Pump fake, scrambles. Sets, fires…touchdown Garrett Wilson! Wow! Justin Fields comes off the bench and throws a strike. A 30-yard score and Ohio State takes a 41-16 lead.”

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As for 2020, right now it will be remembered as heartbreak and emptiness for the players, coaches, and families involved in the great sport. And even more so because there was no doubt in my mind the Ohio State Buckeyes were going to win the National Championship this year with its best team in school history.

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