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THREAD: College basketball’s season starts a month from today, but behind the scenes, according to sources, widespread concern is quickly escalating over the stability -- if not survival -- of every Orlando-based ESPN event. This is a huge deal.
That’s more than two dozen teams, many of them from power conferences, whose late November/early December schedules have suddenly come up for grabs. This has been a staggering late-October plot twist in the scheduling game.
A month ago, it seemed as though if there was going to be ONE location that was going to be the most secure in terms of attracting teams and holding MTEs, it was Orlando. That’s simply no longer the case.
Multiple sources are expressing doubt over the solvency of the entire operation, and the reason for it is the COVID-19 protocols that are attached to playing in an Orlando event. Major decisions are expected in the coming 2-3 days.
At this point, conferences (let alone schools) have different regulations in place for testing. And those differences in opinion and regulations have created a ripple effect of liability and flexibility (or lack thereof) that’s made things difficult to securely schedule.
ESPN released two editions of its protocols to teams last week but the measures laid out were not enough to assuage concerns for many. One rule: if someone in your traveling party test positive for COVID, you have to be quarantined in Orlando for 14 days at the team's expense.
Anyone who is 91 days or more removed from a positive COVID test has to be tested again. (CDC guidance is anyone 90 days or under from last COVID positive is clear to not be tested again. The Big 12 and SEC have not committed to the 90-day CDC rule yet, per sources.)
Many power-conf teams now seeking options outside Orlando.B/c of this, it's reached point where ESPN's told others scheduled to play in FL & advised them to start looking outside Orlando for games as means of scheduling insurance—should whole thing come down like a house of cards
No game or MTE's been 86'd. There's still a path for Orlando, but one source calls it "a long shot.” Another said it’s 50/50 they play there. Another said they’d put it at less than 25%. Yet another said “ESPN knows it’s on the fritz ... my best guess is the whole thing folds.”
Yet another source said, “If Orlando still exists and we can still play in it, we want to play in it, but there might not be anybody left to play and we’ll be forced out.” Teams don't want to be first and they don't want to be last off the merry-go-round.
As all of this plays out, teams currently scheduled to play in Orlando are throwing escape-route options against the wall, including some teams having alliances with others so they could play MTEs w/ each other. Heavy rumors on two teams that are 100% out, just haven't told ESPN.
Teams connected to Orlando in varying capacities: Auburn, Baylor, Belmont, Boise St, Charlotte, Cinci, Furman, Gonzaga, Houston, Illinois, Kansas, Loyola-Chi, Michigan St, Mizzou, N. Texas, Tenn., Texas Tech, Saint Mary’s, SDSU, S. Hall, Oregon, Penn St, UCF, UCLA, Utah St, VCU.
As I understand it, these COVID protocols are being written and dictated by Disney's lawyers and docs, since the games are to be played on Disney property. Obviously ESPN's got a great array of games on its hands that it doesn't want to lose.
Two people wondered aloud to me if ESPN could feasibly move everything off Disney grounds, adjust its protocols to satisfy all parties, and keep most of these games and MTEs in tact. That's not impossible, but just doesn't seem likely.
I still find it hard to envision a situation where Orlando isn't holding events, but too many sources have expressed too much mounting concern this weekend for it not to legitimately be on the table. And once a few big teams go, the momentum might not be reversible.
Multiple coaches + administrators I've talked to are dumbfounded by the fact that when they step back and look at the calendar, they can't believe we're a month out from start of season and this is still the state of affairs with scheduling. Major decisions need to come this week
I neglected to include Kentucky + Duke on this, as those two are obviously included with Kansas and Michigan State in the Champions Classic. That is scheduled to be played in Orlando on Dec. 1. All indications are that annual big-time event is going to happen in whatever capacity
