The Big 12 is canceling its preseason football media days, set for July 20-21 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and instead will hold the event virtually, the league confirmed to ESPN.
The league proposed the change Wednesday to its football coaches and athletic directors, who agreed during a virtual meeting to the new format. The Big 12 is the first Power 5 conference to make its football media days virtual because of concerns from the coronavirus pandemic. Leagues like the AAC, MAC, Mountain West and Conference USA already have announced their football media days will take place virtually this summer.
“Given the uncertainty around the current environment and how much longer it’s going to last and with attendees having to make travel plans, it didn’t seem prudent for a traditional media day with a mass person gathering,” Big 12 spokesman Bob Burda said in a prepared statement.
The SEC (July 13-16 in Atlanta), ACC (July 22-23 in Charlotte), Big Ten (July 22-23 in Chicago), Pac-12 (July 29 in Los Angeles) and Sun Belt (July 28-29 in New Orleans) have yet to announce if their in-person media days will be canceled.
Last July, the Big 12 held football media days at AT&T Stadium, site of the league’s football championship game. The league has held previous media days at the Dallas Cowboys practice facility in Frisco, Texas, and at various hotels.