Indiana University just announced it won’t hold in-person classes until at least April 6 because of the coronavirus. Michigan State won’t hold face-to-face classes until April 20 for the same reason.
But this week, men’s basketball teams from both schools will play in front of 20,000 people 50 miles away from the IU campus.
This is illogical and reckless. There is no rational defense for it. This is not an academic issue or a campus issue. It’s a burgeoning public health crisis, getting worse by the day, and with every game played in front of large crowds, college conferences just feed our worst suspicions about them: The games are more important than classes, and revenue trumps everything else.