A Letter to Hurricanes Fans
Dear Hurricanes Family,
We find ourselves in an unprecedented time in our country’s history as we collectively fight to stem the spread of COVID-19.
The pandemic has dramatically altered daily life as we know it and, like you, Miami Athletics is trying our best to navigate this new normal, while still continuing our mission to help our student-athletes succeed in competition, in the classroom and in life.
On March 11th, we cheered on our men’s basketball team in the ACC Tournament in Greensboro, N.C., unaware of the seismic changes to come over the next 48 hours across the world of sports. By night’s end, the NBA had suspended its season and the ACC joined many conferences in announcing that its basketball tournaments would play without fans in the stands the next day. By the following afternoon, the ACC had suspended all athletic related activities, the NCAA had canceled the Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments — and also announced that all spring championships would be shuttered.
Our track and field team was warming up for the NCAA Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, N.M., but was pulled off the track along with all of the other competitors. Our baseball team was in Orlando following a mid-week win over UCF and ready to board a flight to Blacksburg, Va., for a three-game series with Virginia Tech. They instead boarded a bus back to Coral Gables.
It was a surreal scene all around. We felt the anguish that our student-athletes and coaches felt, and particularly empathized with our seniors and those teams who were working so hard to compete for conference and national championships. But these are extraordinary times that require difficult decisions, and the safety and wellbeing of our student-athletes and employees has always been our athletic department’s number one priority.
The games might be gone for the time being, but our devotion remains steadfast. We are working tirelessly to provide virtual support to our student-athletes for academics, nutrition, training, career development and their mental and physical health. Our staff might be working remotely but still works with the same passion with which we’ve always approached our jobs. Our operations continue. Our communication continues. Our innovation continues. Our stewardship continues. As always, if we can be of any assistance during this time, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
We are very fortunate here at UM to have a leader like Dr. Julio Frenk, who has a lifelong background in medicine and research. I have been involved in numerous meetings and conversations with Dr. Frenk and other campus leaders over the past two weeks and I can tell you how impressed I am with their compassion, knowledge and resolve. We could not have a better group navigating an institution of higher learning through such a difficult and unique situation.
UM has officially transitioned to online classes through the rest of the spring semester. May graduation ceremonies have shifted to December. Most UM staff are working remotely through at least April 17. There are still many unknowns at this time, but we are nevertheless preparing for the day when classes resume, when practices resume, when games resume – when life returns to a better semblance of normalcy.
When Miami Athletics does return, in full, rest assured that the sense of pride, community and joy the Hurricanes have always provided to our fans will return along with it. We are honored to call South Florida home, and we are honored to have your support.
I hope and pray that you and your loved ones are safe and continue to heed the medical advice and precautionary measures set forth by our leadership. And know that we will emerge from this stronger and more unified than ever. Stay healthy, God bless and Go Canes.
Sincerely,
Blake James
