Springfield College Cancels Athletic Events Through End of Week Due to Threats

Baseless accusations toward the city's Haitian community have brought public life to a standstill.

Sep 14, 2024; Logan, Utah, USA; A general view of NCAA footballs lined up before a game. / Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

Amid a tense atmosphere in its community, a Springfield, Ohio, college has made the decision to cancel all home and away athletic events through the end of the week.

Wittenberg University—a Division III school in the North Coast Athletic Conference—announced its decision in a social media post Tuesday morning.

The Tigers' cancellations came shortly after the university indicated it had received "new threats" in addition to "ongoing threats of violence on our campus and in the Springfield community" in a Monday release.

The threats have followed the widespread circulation of baseless conspiracy theories—including by former President Donald Trump—accusing Springfield's sizable Haitian community of consuming household pets for food. Officials in Springfield have repeatedly denied the existence of any credible report of such practices.

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— Wittenberg Athletics (@WittAthletics) September 17, 2024

Wittenberg was scheduled to play Hiram, another Division III school near Akron, in football Saturday. The school's field hockey, soccer and volleyball teams also had games on the docket, while the Tigers' cross country, golf and tennis teams were scheduled to participate in various tournaments.