As college football players have returned to campus for voluntary workouts this month, we’ve seen a parade of announcements from athletic departments about how many athletes have tested positive for COVID-19 during re-entry.
While some people would interpret the data as concerning when positive tests do pop up, the reality is that schools are making these announcements public because it shows that their screening procedures are working.
"It gives us a great baseline moving forward," said one athletics director who spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the topic.