“Local officials and business leaders in some of Texas’ college towns are bracing themselves for the possible cancellation of football — a move that could further injure local economies that are still limping from pandemic-related closures and are reliant on game day tourism. On Tuesday, two of the Power 5 conference — the PAC 12 and the Big 10 — postponed their college football season to spring 2021, citing health and safety concerns from the coronavirus” reports the Texas Tribune.
“Decisions from the three other conferences, including the Big 12 and SEC, are expected to follow soon. Coaches and student athletes in the Big 12 and SEC have indicated they want to move forward with the season as scheduled, despite early outbreaks across the nation — including at the University of Texas at Austin — that have already infected players with COVID-19. Texas’ five major conference football teams – Baylor University, Texas Christian University, Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University and the University of Texas at Austin — are massive economic drivers for their cities of Waco, Fort Worth, College Station, Lubbock and Austin, respectively, generating a flood of seasonal business for hotels, restaurants and bars in a typical year. Economists and city leaders said canceling football would be devastating to local businesses that rely on the huge influxes of cash from home games.”