With the National College Athletics Association deciding to cancel sports this fall because of public health concerns, college towns are set to see significant drops in economic activity and tax revenue. 

That's according to a new post from Christian Collins on The Urban Wire, the blog of the Urban Institute which points out that many college town fall below the 500,000 population threshold required to gain access to the guaranteed minimum assistance from the federal government's Coronavirus Relief Fund established under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. 

Collins writes that the lack of fans packing towns will have ripple effects that extend well beyond campus and the school's own coffers. "These visitors don't just buy tickets; they also fill the town's stores, restaurants, bars, and hotels, and they pay taxes," Collins writes "So if the games are canceled or played without fans, the resulting loss of economic activity and the associated tax revenues for these communities will be devastating."