COLUMN: How COVID-19 will change college football forever

[madguy30]

I’ve seen ZERO details in regards to anything they plan to do. But don’t piss in everyone’s car accident and football related injuries, like related to playing the game as it’s been played for a century, which is exactly the same as COVID.

I think vague directives without a starting point will be in full effect.

Won't college football and basketball be so fun when even more players that are the reason we watch sit out to avoid breaking their lungs even with non life threatening symptoms since they don't know where things really stand in regard to Covid?

Other sources of injuries: we know where things stand, the risk is assessed based on decades of data and adjustments, the choice is made.

Covid: I just hope the grass lot situation is taken care of. It's CRUCIAL to my well being.

 

[BryceC]

So for those of you that think football should be played (and I'm not sure I disagree), what happens when a person tests positive? Do we just ignore the recommendations that everyone in contact self isolate? What would the opposing team do if Mike Rose tests positive, but we play other LBs that have been around him all week?

I think the only way it works like everyone claims is if the entire team is tested regularly. We better pray that this country gets the testing figured out.

The NBA will be coming back much sooner than CFB. I think we'll follow the protocols they lay down.

 

[BryceC]

I think the answer is that certain people just aren't willing to logically evaluate its risks and compare those risks to other risks already faced. Gunnerclone is one of those people. He and I had this same argument a month ago. We are talking about an athlete's risk of death or disability while playing football, including the portion of that risk created by Covid-19.

I mean to put it in simple terms the way we should look at it is this:

A player has X% chance of death or disability playing football pre-Covid.
A player has X+Y% chance of death or disability playing football during Covid.
A player has Z% chance of death or disability from living in America during Covid without playing football.

In my view, if Y is less than or equal to Z, then football should be played. If not, then it shouldn't be played.

We know that playing football during the Covid-19 outbreak will add a new, additional risk to players' health. We know that if football is played, there will be strong preventative measures in place to protect players' health, but some will almost certainly still get it anyway. The NCAA and/or conferences and schools need to have a plan in place for what to do if that happens. And the leadership of these organizations needs to have a strong will and ability to accept that certain people will blame them and call for the end of all sports if someone does die from Covid-19 in a way related to the sport. They need to have a good logic based answer ready and be willing to accept that for some people that will not be enough. They also need to be ready to shut things down if it becomes clear that the preventative measures are not working and a significant number of players are getting infected.

Also, I want to be clear that none of this means I don't take Covid-19 seriously or that I think people should just ignore it. It just means that I believe it is a manageable risk that can be mitigated in a controlled environment. The risk to a limited group of athletes and staff living and working in a controlled environment is much different than the risk to the population in general.

Excellent post and put it much more clearly than I was. Thanks.

 

[Cycsk]

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.

"Culhane estimated a weekend football game to be worth $8.9 million to the Ames-area economy. That’s almost $63 million that will be spent this season at Ames restaurants, hotels and other places football visitors frequent during game weekends."

Randy Peterson quoting Dan Culhane (Ames Chamber of Commerce) in a May 1st article. And that is just Ames, not Ankeny and Des Moines.

 

[Frak]

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.

I don't disagree. I've been disappointed in what the small school in Western Iowa my kids go to has done with the remainder of the school year. Just saying there's not an easy answer other than to set up kids without internet in a classroom or library.

 

[BCClone]

This is how you become famous in Iowa.

Why can't society just go back to doing this!?

If we don't, people are going to start being reckless and abusing alcohol!

View attachment 71921

You saying to go back and be like Vodka Samm?? I honestly must have missed something here. I am confused.

 

[madguy30]

You saying to go back and be like Vodka Samm?? I honestly must have missed something here. I am confused.

The V. Sam reference was more of how the more awful you are, the more noticed you get. It's weird.

 

[farcyted]

Didn't read Chris's article or read one reply. Just here to say, that if people of all ages and health can stock the grocery shelves, cut meat, and check us out every day; run the box stores and keep the convenience stores open; then teachers need to teach, young (least affected) need to be in school and college athletes need to be doing what they do. That is IF we have PPE, tests, and alternate teaching methods if they so chose for the older ones in the system.. I'm late 60's. I will be in the stadium this fall if allowed. Probably with a mask and some hand sanitizer. Everyone needs to be cautious,but not afraid depending on your own level of comfort and risk.

 

[knowlesjam]

How about teams like Northern Iowa...they get $650,000 from Iowa for the game scheduled in September...that's close to 5% of the entire yearly UNI athletic budget.

 

[Cat Stevens]

Some would argue we already do.

Quite possibly not for the reason you and bc think

 

[Cat Stevens]

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

Come on now, you can’t possibly be surprised.

Cars and cancer and heart attacks and stuff, all more deadly than something no more dangerous than the common flu.

Besides most of these folks had it last winter and we’re fine.

I really wish I could say this is strictly satirical, but it’s not.

 

[Cat Stevens]

COVID specific: you want to put life on hold until there is 0 risk. Again, there will probably never be 0 risk. Eventually you have get to the point of accepting a small amount of risk.

That's not a strawman. Thats a fact.

maybe we (Ok you) should understand more about the virus l, before parroting talking point proclamations from the people that think for you?

 

[madguy30]

Didn't read Chris's article or read one reply. Just here to say, that if people of all ages and health can stock the grocery shelves, cut meat, and check us out every day; run the box stores and keep the convenience stores open; then teachers need to teach, young (least affected) need to be in school and college athletes need to be doing what they do. That is IF we have PPE, tests, and alternate teaching methods if they so chose for the older ones in the system.. I'm late 60's. I will be in the stadium this fall if allowed. Probably with a mask and some hand sanitizer. Everyone needs to be cautious,but not afraid depending on your own level of comfort and risk.

What's your plan for teachers and coaches with underlying conditions?

 

[Cyclad]

I think the answer to this question is exactly what you are saying -regularly testing the team and staff. The reason we have people who contact those who test positive self isolate is because we don't have the testing infrastructure to test everyone in the general population who has a possible contact with an infected person.

In this case if (for example) Mike Rose tests positive for the virus, all other players and staff who had exposure to him will be immediately tested. Most likely, the team would be testing everyone regularly anyway. Those who test positive will be isolated until they are no longer infected. Those who test negative have been confirmed to not have the virus and therefore do not need to self isolate.

As a reminder, and I'm not saying this is good, this is a billion dollar business. They will have the money to pay for testing through private sources. I have a feeling that neither you nor I could be tested regularly by the time August and September rolls around, but I think it's reasonable to expect that in certain types of businesses that require in person interactions there will be testing available as long as you pay. We're talking something like 300 people per team that would need tested regularly, not an insane number.

So, you are saying this would be a national priority? Who decides who gets priority tests and who does not? I am a huge fan. I have missed 5 home games in 51 years. I can think of a lot of groups that should have test priority over college football players. Tough situation.

 

[mdk2isu]

What's your plan for teachers and coaches with underlying conditions?

Whats yours?

One of the rules I try living by: if I bring up a problem, I bring an idea for a solution. Otherwise its just complaining and accomplishes nothing.

You seem to have an endless list of 'what ifs' that you keep going to. I think everyone on this board knows your stance on this matter. Try bringing solutions instead of being a negative nancy for once.

 

[CTTB78]

Thanks mods for removing some the more 'useful' posts this morning.

 

[madguy30]

Whats yours?

One of the rules I try living by: if I bring up a problem, I bring an idea for a solution. Otherwise its just complaining and accomplishes nothing.

You seem to have an endless list of 'what ifs' that you keep going to. I think everyone on this board knows your stance on this matter. Try bringing solutions instead of being a negative nancy for once.

If school is in person, paid leave like they do for child caring or pregnancy, medical leave, etc.

For companies, allow people to continue to work from home if they have been, with limited time in office.

For other places, a plan for people to be in adequate space and plentiful PPE, hand sanitizer, etc.

How is it being negative to ask questions that don't get addressed by those that are making the decisions around them?

The problem is here: why doesn't the leadership address it directly instead of blaming others?

 

[SEIOWA CLONE]

What's your plan for teachers and coaches with underlying conditions?

Then those people just stay at home until a vaccine is produced. The time for shutting everything down was 2 months ago, we might have been able to slow down the virus then, with a complete shutdown. Be we were being told it was a hoax and not any worse than the flu. Some businesses were allowed to stay open while others forced to close. We slowed down the spread, but that is all we did.
Its time to open up the country and see what happens, test the hell out of people in exposed areas where people work in tight conditions, and continue practicing social distancing as best we can.
If an outbreak props up, have plans in place to quickly close the factory, school or what ever business it is.
Hope that the vaccine gets here sooner than later.

 

[mdk2isu]

If school is in person, paid leave like they do for child caring or pregnancy, medical leave, etc.

For companies, allow people to continue to work from home if they have been, with limited time in office.

For other places, a plan for people to be in adequate space and plentiful PPE, hand sanitizer, etc.

How is it being negative to ask questions that don't get addressed by those that are making the decisions around them?

The problem is here: why doesn't the leadership address it directly instead of blaming others?

Is anyone on here making the decisions around those issues? No. Well then, you aren't asking questions to those people, so it comes across as looking for a negative.

There comes a point where you have to make a decision to go a direction and then figure things out from there. You cant sit there and try to figure out all the answers before you move, or you will never move, because you will never have all the answers. Thats a basic principle of success in any arena.

You want conversation, bring something (ideas/suggestions/etc.) to the table. Dont expect everyone else to answer the questions for you. This isnt an interrogation.

 

[madguy30]

Is anyone on here making the decisions around those issues? No. Well then, you aren't asking questions to those people, so it comes across as looking for a negative.

There comes a point where you have to make a decision to go a direction and then figure things out from there. You cant sit there and try to figure out all the answers before you move, or you will never move, because you will never have all the answers. Thats a basic principle of success in any arena.

You want conversation, bring something (ideas/suggestions/etc.) to the table. Dont expect everyone else to answer the questions for you. This isnt an interrogation.

I just gave you my answers.

Here's a solution: if you don't like it, block me. It's your choice on whether or not to respond to my posts, no?