Parents of Ohio State football players demand return of fall sports
COLUMBUS, Ohio (NewsNation) — The parents of Ohio State University football players are demanding answers from the Big Ten Conference over its decision to postpone fall sports.
Parents rallied outside Ohio Stadium, known as the Horseshoe, on Saturday, and many called for a return of the fall athletics season, NewsNation affiliate WCMH reported.
“I look at these parents, I see them hurting,” Gee Scott Sr., father of OSU wide receiver Gee Scott Jr., told WCMH. “I see the sacrifices parents have made for their children.”
Many of the parents reached out to Big Ten leadership after Commissioner Kevin Warren announced the postponement due to coronavirus concerns earlier this month, but they said they haven’t received any response.
“We’re still seeking that transparency and communication from the Big Ten about why they decided to postpone the season,” said Amanda Babb, president of the Football Parents Association at Ohio State and stepmother to Buckeye wide receiver Cameron Babb. “We had sent them a couple of letters. We haven’t heard anything back.”
Fans attend a protest, staged by parents of Ohio State football players, against the cancelation of the Big Ten Conference’s football season due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) concerns outside Ohio State’s stadium in Columbus, Ohio, U.S., August 29, 2020. REUTERS/Megan Jelinger 
A woman wears a mask with a message to Michigan’s team, at a protest, staged by parents of Ohio State football players, against the cancelation of the Big Ten Conference’s football season due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) concerns outside Ohio State’s stadium in Columbus, Ohio, U.S., August 29, 2020. REUTERS/Megan Jelinger 
Fans attend a protest, staged by parents of Ohio State football players, against the cancelation of the Big Ten Conference’s football season due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) concerns outside Ohio State’s stadium in Columbus, Ohio, U.S., August 29, 2020. REUTERS/Megan Jelinger TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 
Fans attend a protest, staged by parents of Ohio State football players, against the cancelation of the Big Ten Conference’s football season due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) concerns outside Ohio State’s stadium in Columbus, Ohio, U.S., August 29, 2020. REUTERS/Megan Jelinger
In Warren’s open letter, he said the fall sports decision “was thorough and deliberative, and based on sound feedback, guidance and advice from medical experts.”
Ohio State University is preparing for a $130 million decline in athletics revenue in 2021 due to the postponed fall athletics season. According to the university’s most recent available financial report submitted to the NCAA, for fiscal year 2019, football accounts for more than half of the Department of Athletics revenue.
“In a perfect world, we would hear back from the Big Ten about if there’s some medical science or something and that’s why they decided to delay,” Babb told WCMH. “We would love to have that information and really just get the communication from the Big Ten.”
Parents of student-athletes from other sports also joined the rally this weekend.
Randy Wade, whose son plays cornerback for Ohio State, asked parents at other Big Ten schools to protest on their campuses as well.
“As a parent, you just gotta fight,” Wade said. “You just gotta fight for your kids and just do the best job you can. At the end of the day, how it turns out is how it turns out, but you just gotta keep fighting.”
The Big Ten did not return WCMH’s requests for comment.
NewsNation affiliate WCMH contributed to this report.
