The Mid-American Conference has become the first Division 1 league for college football to cancel its fall season because of COVID-19 concerns.
The conference includes Eastern, Western and Central Michigan Universities, as well as the University of Toledo.
It announced Saturday morning that all MAC schools will be postponing their fall sports programs hopefully until the spring.
The decision not only affects football, but also cross country, soccer, volleyball and field hockey, and the fall seasons for golf, and tennis.
In an email statement to students and faculty, EMU President James Smith said, "The health and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff has been our top priority in all actions related to the return to campus this fall. Unlike classroom, residence hall and campus settings, the field of competition rarely allows for safe physical distancing and may complicate the use of masks or face coverings. These factors create a deep concern for student-athlete health and safety in the current pandemic."
MAC schools rely heavily on revenue from playing football road games against power conference teams.
Most of those games were canceled when the Power Five, including the Big Ten, went to exclusively or mostly conference schedules.
