Lang
10/21/20
Iowa City mayor Bruce Teague is among a dozen mayors of Big Ten cities calling for the conference to coordinate with community leaders when considering whether or not to play football games.
The letter calls for the Big Ten to consult with community leaders and health officials, taking into account community spread when deciding whether or not to play games.
Currently, the Big Ten only uses COVID-19 testing results within its football programs when considering if games will be played. The mayors are asking that the metrics used for the teams also be applied to the communities. The letter also asks that the conference release kickoff times for future games as quickly as possible and limit late afternoon and night games, as those lead to more activity in the communities.
The only Big Ten mayors not to sign on to the letter were the mayors of Champaign, Illinois New Brunswick, New Jersey, and Lincoln, Nebraska. Both the mayors of Lansing and East Lansing, Michigan, signed on representing Michigan State.