University Southern California Trojans
Mike Bohn's Letter to Fans - July 31
July 31, 2020 | Trojan Athletic Fund
Trojan Family,
I hope this message finds you safe and healthy. Thank you for your unwavering support of USC student-athletes. Although we are forced to physically distance right now, the Trojan Family is closer than ever and your generosity will be central to our success whenever competition resumes. Thank you for continuing to be a champion for USC student-athletes!
By now, I'm sure you've seen today's announcement by the Pac-12 Conference detailing the 2020 fall sports schedule. Having been so consumed by doubt these last four months, we are pleased that our fall sport student-athletes can continue their training with the knowledge of a proposed timeline for returning to competition. The decision to delay the start of the fall sports season, with the optionality to commence our football season even a week later on October 3, is a solution that represents a commitment to equitably serving the interests of our football and fall Olympic sports teams, women's soccer and women's volleyball. Since we launched our phased return to campus plan in late June, we have been extremely encouraged by the efficacy of our protocols and the compliance of our student-athletes, coaches, and staff.
I know many of you still have a number of questions about the 2020 football season to which we do not have answers, and we share in your frustration about the uncertainty of our circumstances. Following the Pac-12 announcement, Martin Jarmond, UCLA's new athletic director, and I issued the following joint statement:
"We are pleased with today's Pac-12 announcement of revised scheduling details for 2020 fall sports. We understand the great interest in the 90th edition of our historic football rivalry game, currently scheduled for Sept. 26 at the Rose Bowl. Though we are progressing toward the start of our respective seasons, at this time we do not have the necessary county and state clearances to begin competitions. Developing a scheduling model for the fall sports season that provides optimal flexibility was an important next step in the process. In particular, our football schedules create the opportunity for us to shift our season-opening contest to open dates later in the season (Oct. 31 and Dec. 12), if necessary. UCLA and USC are in absolute alignment, and we remain in regular communication with state, local, and university officials. We will continue to follow their guidance with the utmost regard for the health and safety of our student-athletes."
I thought it would be informative to follow up and provide some additional context. With health and safety at the forefront, our primary focus over these last few months has been to insert as much flexibility as possible within all of our planning so that we can be agile in response to this ever-changing, unprecedented environment. Whether in regards to the precise timing of our phased return to campus for student-athletes, the composition of the sports schedules, or the opt-in/opt-out season ticket process, we are thoughtfully approaching each challenge with patience and prudence to ensure steady progress toward the fall season we all desire. We must be prepared to adapt instantaneously to any significant developments. As such, it is likely that, based on current trends, we will take advantage of this strategic scheduling flexibility and our shared circumstances with UCLA to shift that rivalry contest to an open date later in the season, meaning our first football game would be October 3.
It is true that, at this time, we do not have state, county, or university clearance for traditional practices and competitions. Additionally, we have not received any indication about if fans will be permitted to attend home games at the Coliseum this year should the season go forward, and we do not have any timeline for when this decision would be made by public health officials. Following our lead, the Rams and Chargers, who have proven to be outstanding partners during this pandemic, performed a similar opt-out process for their season ticket holders, and they are expecting a limited-to-no capacity scenario at the new Sofi Stadium this fall.
We have wonderful and well-connected government relations and medical teams at USC, so please know that we remain in constant communication with the LA County Department of Public Health and Governor Newsom's office. The state recently released guidance for K-12 schools, and we are optimistic that they will soon release similar instructions for higher education, to include athletics. We are appreciative of the fact that we have been provided an opportunity to lend our experiences and expertise in consulting on the plan for college athletics. I hope it gives you great comfort to know that we are advocating for our student-athletes and athletics program at all levels. We are also incredibly fortunate to have amazing university partners collaborating with us to preserve the promise of a world-class experience to our student-athletes.
The primary challenge in front us is "threading the needle" to align NCAA and Pac-12 Conference plans with county and state guidance while ensuring we operate in a manner that is also consistent with university policies. And though our focus is on our student-athletes, we must also reconcile the significant financial stress the pandemic has placed upon our athletics program, as well. We consider it our mandate to responsibly balance the off-field health of our student-athletes during this pandemic with their physical preparedness and on-field safety should the fall sports season begin as now planned.
Thank you for your belief, confidence, patience, and trust as we have navigated this extraordinary time. Our staff is working tirelessly on behalf of our student-athletes, coaches, donors, fans, and alumni. We will be stronger for having endured this challenge together as a Trojan Family.
FIGHT ON!
Mike
