Los Angeles fires A home is engulfed in flames in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on Jan. 8, 2025. A wildfire broke out in Los Angeles County on Jan. 7, which has destroyed more than 1,000 homes, businesses and other structures, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at a briefing Wednesday.

Many sports media figures and fans are criticizing the Big Ten for penalizing Northwestern’s women’s basketball team for not playing games at USC and UCLA in January, as wildfires ravaged the Los Angeles area.

The conference announced Wednesday that Northwestern’s games against UCLA (Jan. 12) and USC (Jan. 15) will not be rescheduled. (Those games had been scheduled for broadcast on B1G+ and Peacock, respectively.)

According to a Big Ten media release, “Per Conference rules, forfeitures will be assessed to Northwestern.” The Wildcats pick up two losses, while USC and UCLA each earn a win.

Fires erupted in the Los Angeles area beginning Jan. 7 and raged out of control for several weeks. They killed at least 29 people and destroyed more than 16,000 structures. The largest fire, the Palisades blaze, burned almost 24,000 acres just a few miles from UCLA. It led to evacuations and disrupted UCLA’s operations. The Daily Bruin student newspaper reported many parents were concerned about student safety.

Northwestern athletic director Mark Jackson said the school would “abide” by the decision but used “sound reasoning” in not traveling to those games.

“While we acknowledge that bylaws and rules are in place for a reason and we will abide by them, it does not diminish this team’s sound reasoning for not participating during this natural disaster,” Jackson said (via Matt Fortuna). “We will continue to support our Women’s Basketball student-athletes and hope for a strong recovery for the Southern California region.”

Many in sports media ripped the Big Ten’s decision.

The fires disrupted many sports events, including the Los Angeles Rams-Minnesota Vikings Wild Card game on Jan. 13. The NFL moved that game from SoFi Stadium to Arizona. The Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers both had games postponed. The Fox Sports Radio studio, located a few miles away from UCLA, paused live programming on Jan. 11.

About Arthur Weinstein

Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.