COLUMN: How COVID-19 will change college football forever

[jdoggivjc]

I’m guessing if there’s P5 football being played this year, ISU is playing. ISU is not in a position at any point in time to find itself without a seat at the table. What better way to find yourself on the outside looking in if and when an FCS reshuffle happens.

 

[mdk2isu]

Seeing what this has been over the last 9 weeks of the school year, it has been a complete disaster. If this was like this for five years, we would have a very big intellectual hole in our society.

Some would argue we already do.

 

[Halincandenza]

Question, Gunner. You seem like a smart guy and I am genuinely curious about the following ... is there any way to quantify college football's impact on local economies nationwide? Then factor in the money flowing through media deals, contracts, etc.? I guess that's where I was coming from with my analysis, not the literal place you took it.

You are 100 percent right when you put it like that.

Plus, take into account the college football business only operates what? 16 weeks in a year ? and maybe say an average of 4 days a week? Most of the year CFB isn't making money.

 

[Halincandenza]

I’m sure college kids will refrain from any activities that would be conducive to spreading diseases.

If college kids are known for anything, it is making responsible choices and looking out for the good of society over their own desires.

 

[BMWallace]

Seeing what this has been over the last 9 weeks of the school year, it has been a complete disaster. If this was like this for five years, we would have a very big intellectual hole in our society.

That is a quite a pessimistic way to view the education side of this. Nobody was prepared to go fully remote, and having to pivot entire curriculums to online only classes on a moments notice was bound to be rough transition. But given a summer to address some of the more glaring issues, schools and teachers should be better able to prepare for remote teaching in the fall.

Also, people who are interested in learning and those who are driven will find ways to teach themselves outside of the traditional education system. To think that this pandemic situation will have some massive brain drain on society is a bit far flung. Luckly, we just so happen all have access to the largest repository of human knowledge ever assembled!

 

[Gunnerclone]

Another thing to think about is the now close to 40 million unemployed people in this country (doubt that number stops going up for awhile). They aren’t going to be spending money on CFB games or activities surrounding CFB and Not buying the products advertising on broadcasts.

I think the calculation looks like this: What is the likelihood that even just ONE CFB player contracts COVID from football activities and dies? The X factor is that we know there are guys out there that are compromised (undiagnosed heart issues anyone? Maybe ask Fred.)

if the answer to that question is anything over ZERO, then no playing. It’s one thing for Grandma to Die For The Dow, it’s another for a 19 year old kid to die for our entertainment and what amounts to a pin prick on an elephants ass in terms of the positive economic effects.

 

[mdk2isu]

Another thing to think about is the now close to 40 million unemployed people in this country (doubt that number stops going up for awhile). They aren’t going to be spending money on CFB games or activities surrounding CFB and Not buying the products advertising on broadcasts.

I think the calculation looks like this: What is the likelihood that even just ONE CFB player contracts COVID from football activities and dies? The X factor is that we know there are guys out there that are compromised (undiagnosed heart issues anyone? Maybe ask Fred.)

if the answer to that question is anything over ZERO, then no playing. It’s one thing for Grandma to Die For The Dow, it’s another for a 19 year old kid to die for our entertainment and what amounts to a pin prick on an elephants ass in terms of the positive economic effects.

Might as well just eliminate all sports forever then. And gyms, and marathons/tirathlons/5ks, etc. Because there is a very small, but still not 0 risk of someone having an undiagnosed heart issue or some other factor that could lead to their death from that activity.

 

[Raiders70]

Seeing what this has been over the last 9 weeks of the school year, it has been a complete disaster. If this was like this for five years, we would have a very big intellectual hole in our society.

a lot of this is on the schools. The technology is available to have remote learning and homework packets could be produced and turned in on a weekly basis. Would it be as good as going to school in person? No..It wouldnt, but I think its a disgrace that most of these school districts show no creativity and refuse to have the students do any mandatory homework or talk to them via Zoom or some other kind of interactive video platform.

 

[Urbandale2013]

That is a quite a pessimistic way to view the education side of this. Nobody was prepared to go fully remote, and having to pivot entire curriculums to online only classes on a moments notice was bound to be rough transition. But given a summer to address some of the more glaring issues, schools and teachers should be better able to prepare for remote teaching in the fall.

Also, people who are interested in learning and those who are driven will find ways to teach themselves outside of the traditional education system. To think that this pandemic situation will have some massive brain drain on society is a bit far flung. Luckly, we just so happen all have access to the largest repository of human knowledge ever assembled!

How many school age kids actually are motivated to learn? I know I wasn’t and I was one of the better students. As you get older and more specialized I’m not sure it’s so much an issue but the drain on primary education would be horrendous if we had no school for 5 years as the person posed.

 

[ScottyP]

I wonder how many students would be willing to pay full tuition for online only at a school like Iowa State. Many students might just take the semester/year off until they can be back on campus.

 

[ScottyP]

How many school age kids actually are motivated to learn? I know I wasn’t and I was one of the better students. As you get older and more specialized I’m not sure it’s so much an issue but the drain on primary education would be horrendous if we had no school for 5 years as the person posed.

I talked to one high school teacher who said he was only getting about 30% participation for online learning.

 

[Frak]

a lot of this is on the schools. The technology is available to have remote learning and homework packets could be produced and turned in on a weekly basis. Would it be as good as going to school in person? No..It wouldnt, but I think its a disgrace that most of these school districts show no creativity and refuse to have the students do any mandatory homework or talk to them via Zoom or some other kind of interactive video platform.

The technology is available, but not everyone has an internet connection or a smart phone. Hard to require online learning when the poor kids don't have access. That's why things aren't mandatory.

 

[Halincandenza]

I wonder how many students would be willing to pay full tuition for online only at a school like Iowa State. Many students might just take the semester/year off until they can be back on campus.

I was thinking this as well. Why pay a full tuition for online classes? I would just take a year off and spend more time trying to figure out what is is I would actually like to do.

 

[CTTB78]

....if the answer to that question is anything over ZERO, then no playing. It’s one thing for Grandma to Die For The Dow, it’s another for a 19 year old kid to die for our entertainment and what amounts to a pin prick on an elephants ass in terms of the positive economic effects.

As been mentioned before, the football risks associated with CTE are not zero. Do we shut it all down?

 

[Raiders70]

The technology is available, but not everyone has an internet connection or a smart phone. Hard to require online learning when the poor kids don't have access. That's why things aren't mandatory.

I get their stand. The intermediate goal should be to figure out how to get more poor kids access to the technology. I guess in the short term I think it makes sense to educate the 90% of the kids that do have access. I would rather have a small percentage of kids fall behind and figure out a way to help them catch up then what they are doing. Convenient excuse to do nothing for these kids while they all still get paid.

 

[helechopper]

I don’t see college sports happening this fall, the risk is too great.

Only a vaccine or reaching “herd immunity” (whichever comes first) will allow us any sense of normalcy in sports.

I pray I’m completely wrong and football & basketball happen.

 

[Stewo]

Another thing to think about is the now close to 40 million unemployed people in this country (doubt that number stops going up for awhile). They aren’t going to be spending money on CFB games or activities surrounding CFB and Not buying the products advertising on broadcasts.

I think the calculation looks like this: What is the likelihood that even just ONE CFB player contracts COVID from football activities and dies? The X factor is that we know there are guys out there that are compromised (undiagnosed heart issues anyone? Maybe ask Fred.)

if the answer to that question is anything over ZERO, then no playing. It’s one thing for Grandma to Die For The Dow, it’s another for a 19 year old kid to die for our entertainment and what amounts to a pin prick on an elephants ass in terms of the positive economic effects.

This is an oversimplification from a financial point of view. Schools all over the country will be in deep **** if the football season isn't played. The economic impact of that could very be substantially larger than a couple billion dollars.

There's no easy or "correct" answer to solve this problem, that's for certain, but football has to be played. It sounds ridiculous to even type that, but nearly every school depends on it happening.

 

[mwwbbfan]

I gotta believe this disruption will benefit ISU. CMC and company will come out on top on this deal.

I believe he will have the current players as well prepared as anyone - where it will be tough is the recruiting side - it will be much tougher to get kids to leave their geographic areas - especially if visits are curtailed. Also evaluation will be a crap shoot without any summer camps and if college football is questionable - high school football is even more so.

 

[CycloneErik]

The technology is available, but not everyone has an internet connection or a smart phone. Hard to require online learning when the poor kids don't have access. That's why things aren't mandatory.

Apparently, fall will be mandatory for all Ames ages if things have to go the online direction.

 

[Gunnerclone]

As been mentioned before, the football risks associated with CTE are not zero. Do we shut it all down?

How many straw man replies will I get to that post? That’s two thus far, Shooter.