Michigan governor calling for high schools to flip fall, spring sports schedules

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is urging the Michigan High School Athletic Association to flip the fall and spring sports schedules for the upcoming academic year in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. She made her plea with the association on Tuesday.

“I’m calling on the Michigan High School Athletic Association to consider postponing fall sports that don’t have the possibility of social distancing, consider moving those to the spring and running some of the more individualized sports like track and field or tennis or golf to the fall,” Whitmer said on Tuesday. “And I anticipate a decision coming from them somewhere around July 20-25. That’s what they’ve indicated.”

With Whitmer’s recommendation, that could result in sports like football and volleyball being moved to the spring. That would also likely mean that baseball and softball could be shifted into the fall season.

Moving football to the spring isn’t just an idea that has been discussed at the high school level. Due to the ongoing pandemic, colleges have also put the idea of moving the sport back a few months on the table. The Ivy League — which competes at the FCS level — is considering that to be one of its primary alternate options at this time.

Below is the video of Whitmer’s comments from Tuesday:

Here is Gretchen Whitmer's (@GovWhitmer) full statement on encouraging the @mhsaa to move some fall sports to the spring while moving more individualized sports (track & field, golf, tennis) to the fall. Whitmer expects the MHSAA to make a decision between July 20 and July 25 pic.twitter.com/iFKJtX7mLD

— Jonathan Deutsch (@JonathanD_TV) June 30, 2020