FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media before boarding Air Energy One as he departs from Bedminster, Modern Jersey, U.S., August 9, 2020. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
(Reuters) – President Donald Trump known as on U.S. colleges to proceed with the autumn soccer season amid experiences on Monday that it might probably perhaps perhaps perhaps nicely be canceled as a consequence of of issues over the COVID-19 outbreak.
“The scholar-athletes had been working too laborious for his or her season to be cancelled. #WeWantToPlay,” Trump wrote on Twitter.
In a single extra tweet, he wrote: “Play Faculty Soccer!”
His feedback had been made in a retweet of a submit from Clemson College quarterback Trevor Lawrence, considered one of many additional excessive-profile avid players who has been vocal on social media about his want to play.
Trump’s tweets adopted a number of experiences that U.S. college sports activities’ “Power 5” conferences, made out of the nation’s excessive soccer features, have met to debate the viability of a 2020 season.
“He very nice need to assessment college soccer safely resume their sport,” White Dwelling spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany urged journalists at a briefing when requested about Trump’s tweet.
“Only a few of those college athletes… work their full lives for this second, and he’d prefer to assessment them have a swap to reside out their desires.”
Earlier this 12 months a stare carried out by Washington College in St. Louis for ESPN acknowledged the 65 colleges that make up the “Power 5” would collectively lose additional than $four billion in soccer income if the season had been canceled, with on the very least $1.2 billion of that because of the misplaced mark income.
Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Further reporting by Jeff Mason and Susan Heavey; Enhancing by Dan Grebler
