Deaconblue
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Setting up for ND to win the ACC championship.
99% of these kids want to play. They're not going to skip out on playing the game they love because they could come down with flu symptoms...NOT calling COVID the flu, but lets be serious. If a kid has an underlying illness then by all means they can opt out. COVID isn't going to kill 1 single athlete - heard it here first. I doubt it'll critically harm any athletes either and the NCAA and power conferences know this.
I know I'll catch some hell with this post and I'm not trying to undermine COVID, but 18-22 year old kids are not worried about it. I'd imagine the ones who sit the season out are using this as a great reason to not risk injury, and can hide behind COVID and not look like bad team players. There may also be parents forcing some kids to sit out.
Creamy, no doubt that the risks for healthy college athletes are very low. But the concern is that sporting events with close contact could be super-spreader events that then lead to coaches, parents, grandparents, professors, staff, etc getting sick and potentially dying. What the NBA, WNBA, NWSL, etc are doing - creating a bubble - is likely to work. College sports are not able to take the bubble approach.
I do agree this is THE problem. These kids need to be in a hotel or similar setup for the next 4 months and only surround themselves with each other. With disciple, which I know could be difficult for college age kids, they could pull this off without harming their elder family members. The older coaches are at the most risks because it should be easy for these young men to steer clear from their families for the season, IMO.
I do agree this is THE problem. These kids need to be in a hotel or similar setup for the next 4 months and only surround themselves with each other. With disciple, which I know could be difficult for college age kids, they could pull this off without harming their elder family members. The older coaches are at the most risks because it should be easy for these young men to steer clear from their families for the season, IMO.
There are other issues as well. Outbreaks on teams are going to happen, so then they'll need to quarantine for 14 days. This could quickly take entire teams out of commission. Some programs may have great discipline, but you know there are teams and players out there that won't. I won't name names, but we all know those programs.
I don't think this is realistic. They are student athletes. They'll attend class, socialize, etc.
To follow that up, the obvious, these kids aren't just playing a game - they're playing for their future. Many of these young men don't have backup plans and they NEED football.
You gotta think that some of the many college football players across the country come from not so great family/neighborhood situations. I'd argue that the absence of football for months on end along with boredom due to the varying restrictions could lead to some not so great incidents and accidents. Which is more dangerous? Young athletes having to stay in a tough situation back home for a long period of time or an escape to a place of primarily football with the risk of covid (3-7 deaths potentially. https://www.cbssports.com/college-f...s-projected-by-data-analysts-if-fbs-plays-in/) ? It's definitely a double edged sword.
To follow that up, the obvious, these kids aren't just playing a game - they're playing for their future. Many of these young men don't have backup plans and they NEED football.
The college students?
UConn cancels its 2020 football season
cue the "tree falling in the forest" jokes
they were scheduled to play Illinois, Indiana, UNC, UVA, Mississippi, and those games in all likelihood weren't going to happen (B1G/SEC for sure wouldn't have happened)
UCONN claimed the decision was made to ensure the safety of the student athletes, but with no conference affiliation and no football TV money guaranteed, the move was made to save money.