In the SWAC, the main source of revenue from football comes from putting fans in the stands and there are no substitutes for that at schools that often have limited resources.

This fall, packing fans into stadiums at the 10 SWAC schools in five states from Texas to Alabama just might not be an option even if campuses are open.

To put it in perspective, the 21 Division I HBCUs generated about $214 million in revenue in 2018, while the University of Texas out-earned those schools alone, leading the nation in sports revenue with more than $219 million that year.

In the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, another conference with HBCUs that include Howard and Florida AM, Commissioner Dennis Thomas oversees a committee looking at how sports can return at its schools.

Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams said the schools in her conference haven’t had to make any cuts yet, but noted the financial challenges of fielding the required 10 sports.