FORT WORTH, Texas — The winter storm plunged Texas into an unusual state of emergency.

Millions of people were affected by the icy road conditions, power outages, and below freezing temperatures. In the grand scheme of things, athletics are pale in comparison to the safety of Texans. But sports are also feeling the impact.


What You Need To Know

  • The winter storm in Texas has affected the living conditions of student-athletes on college campuses

  • Not only do the schools' programs have to juggle COVID-19 testing for each sport, but now they have to factor in the weather postponements as well

  • The TCU Horned Frogs still have the Big 12 championships to prepare for, despite these setbacks

As temperatures nosedived into single digits, scheduled games from the professional and collegiate levels are taking a back seat. College basketball, in particular, has been a logistical nightmare.

"Basically it starts with, 'Can you travel safely?'" said Texas Christian University Athletic Director Jeremiah Donati. "And if the answer to that is 'no' or 'we don’t know,' then the game has to be postponed. We can’t put anyone’s health or safety at risk."

Not only do the schools' programs have to juggle COVID-19 testing for each sport, but now they have to factor in the weather postponements as well. For college hoops, specifically, conferences have to examine closely at how the rest of the season will play out.

“[The Big 12] would like to see each team play each out at least once," said Donati. "So in our case, we haven’t played Texas Tech or West Virginia yet, so I’d imagine one of those games would be a higher priority than playing another team twice."

The storm also affected the living conditions of TCU student-athletes on campus.

"We’ve had many players lose power," Donati said. "They’re bunking up with teammates or friends to stay warm."

One of those athletes floating around is junior swimmer Hugh McPherson, who had temperatures drop to as low as 37 degrees in his off-campus house.

"I’m from Kansas," said McPherson. "I know what it’s like to deal with the cold. But I’ve never had anything like this where I have to leave my house because of the freezing temperatures."

McPherson managed to stay warm by bunking with his other teammates across campus. When they lost power, however, he moved again to his girlfriend’s apartment. Despite all the setbacks, McPherson still managed to attend swim practice.

"The pool is obviously a lot warmer than outside, so we kind of look forward to jumping in the pool instead of messing around on deck because we are just trying to warm up," he said.

Although a number of players and coaches were unable to get in their reps this week, the Horned Frogs still have the Big 12 championships to prepare for. McPherson added that head coach James Winchester has kept his players highly motivated.

"[Winchester] ends every email he writes to us with, 'We will crush Big 12’s no matter what,'" McPherson said. "It’s a great reminder to overcome what we’ve dealt with this week."

It’s a perfect message to stay focused and overcome the adversity the state of Texas has faced.