Is a tectonic change coming to college sports?

[jesmu84]

What happened to following the science?

Sep 12, 2020
Report: Big Ten Voting On Return of Fall Sports

https://www.si.com/.amp-maryland/college/maryland/football/report-big-ten-voting-return-to-play

Reports on Saturday morning that the Big Ten Return to Competition Taskforce will vote on the return on fall sports as a proposed October 17 start date floats.

#revisionisthistory

Your agenda is clear.

[rocky_warrior]

Aug 11:

The outcry was so big that the Big 10 is meeting again today and considering "uncanceling" the season.

Nothing happened.  They voted 11-3 to postpone the football season.

Sep 12:

Taskforce will vote on the return on fall sports as a proposed October 17 start date floats.

TBD.  Is public health so much better in the past 30 days to flip 6 more votes? (need 60+% to move forward)? Doubtful.

[The Big East]

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/29880363/sources-big-ten-meets-again-sunday-no-vote-return-play

[Heisenberg]

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/29880363/sources-big-ten-meets-again-sunday-no-vote-return-play

from this link

The Detroit Free Press first reported that Sunday's meeting would not end in a vote.

A formal vote is expected in the next few days, sources said.

----

Rocky, I agree with you ... regarding the medical aspects of the virus, nothing has changed, and certainly not enough to see six universities change their opinion.

That said, never forget the most important data point when "following the science" ... the amount of money they are losing every week without football, and the amount of money the SEC and ACC are not losing every week because they have football.

[Pakuni]

Aug 11:
Nothing happened.  They voted 11-3 to postpone the football season.

Sep 12:
TBD.  Is public health so much better in the past 30 days to flip 6 more votes? (need 60+% to move forward)? Doubtful.

If the Big 10 universities were concerned with the health of the athletes, they probably wouldn't sponsor football in the first place. COVID is well down the list of maladies an otherwise healthy 18-22 year old faces when he steps onto the field.
Heisey is right about one thing ... this decision is being driven by financial concerns. Just like the decision not to play was driven by financial concerns.

[Heisenberg]

Dave Portnoy (Davey Day Trader), President of Barstool Sports, went to Michigan, and heard Michigan is now the hold up to playing football this fall.

He has a three minute rant about why they should play and if Michigan is indeed the school they kills football this fall, they are dead to him.

Entertaining!

https://twitter.com/stoolpresidente/status/1304951689372479488?s=21

[tower912]

Michigan State has had a huge COVID outbreak.    Michigan has lamented about the impact on their athletic department budget.

[The Sultan]

If Barstool is for it, common sense should be against it.

[tower912]

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/wolverines/2020/09/13/big-ten-football-presidents-vote-michigan-msu/5788122002/

MSU, Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn St, Maryland all dealing with COVID related issues.     How do you make the case for playing when the entire campus is in lockdown and all classes are virtual?

[The Sultan]

They really don't need to "make the case for playing" if they simply want to play and the $$ that comes along with it.

[Heisenberg]

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/wolverines/2020/09/13/big-ten-football-presidents-vote-michigan-msu/5788122002/

MSU, Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn St, Maryland all dealing with COVID related issues.     How do you make the case for playing when the entire campus is in lockdown and all classes are virtual?

Headline crossing now (no story yet)

*BIG TEN COMING BACK WEEKEND OF OCT. 24: YAHOO SPORTS REPORTER

I guess this means the Big 10 Presidents are science deniers.

ADDED

Daily rapid testing for players....to everyone else....you're on your own!   

But, don't you dare accuse them of considering money when making this decision.

[GooooMarquette]

Headline crossing now (no story yet)

*BIG TEN COMING BACK WEEKEND OF OCT. 24: YAHOO SPORTS REPORTER

I guess this means the Big 10 Presidents are science deniers.

IMO, the science deniers are in the SEC, etc...who plowed ahead without a second thought. The Big Ten seems to be acknowledging and concerned about the scientific realities, but has become overwhelmed by the $hort-term lo$$e$.

[Pakuni]

IMO, the science deniers are in the SEC, etc...who plowed ahead without a second thought. The Big Ten seems to be acknowledging and concerned about the scientific realities, but has become overwhelmed by the $hort-term lo$$e$.

The SEC isn't denying the science at all. They're testing three times a week, requiring cardiac evaluations, etc.
Would I be wrong to assume you believe playing = denying the science?
I think the mistake you may be making is believing the SEC (and other science denying conferences) think they can play with zero infections. I don't believe anyone thinks that. I think they expect and accept infections, and believe they can play through them.

Not to beat a dead horse, but the real threat to athletes' health isn't on the football fields and athletic complexes. It's when they mix with the general student body.

[The Big East]

https://www.startribune.com/big-ten-football-plans-oct-23-24-return-with-daily-testing-plan/572428002/

[Lennys Tap]

The SEC isn't denying the science at all. They're testing three times a week, requiring cardiac evaluations, etc.
Would I be wrong to assume you believe playing = denying the science?
I think the mistake you may be making is believing the SEC (and other science denying conferences) think they can play with zero infections. I don't believe anyone thinks that. I think they expect and accept infections, and believe they can play through them.

Not to beat a dead horse, but the real threat to athletes' health isn't on the football fields and athletic complexes. It's when they mix with the general student body.

100% agree.

"Science denier" has become shorthand for "anyone who disagrees with me".

[Heisenberg]

https://www.youtube.com/v/V83JR2IoI8k?rel=0

[MU82]

Interesting flip-flop by the Big 14. I hope it works out well for the athletes, coaches and support personnel.

I'm not the biggest college football fan, but the positive news the last few weeks has done wonders for my DKNG investment. Up almost 10% more today!

[GooooMarquette]

The SEC isn't denying the science at all. They're testing three times a week, requiring cardiac evaluations, etc.
Would I be wrong to assume you believe playing = denying the science?
I think the mistake you may be making is believing the SEC (and other science denying conferences) think they can play with zero infections. I don't believe anyone thinks that. I think they expect and accept infections, and believe they can play through them.

Not to beat a dead horse, but the real threat to athletes' health isn't on the football fields and athletic complexes. It's when they mix with the general student body.

No, I don't believe it's denying the science just to play. But to play outside a legitimate bubble? Maybe not denying, but ignoring the likely outcome.

And if the SEC isn't denying the science, I assume LSU's first few games are going to be postponed since Ed Orgeron just told us that half his team has COVID, right?

[Pakuni]

No, I don't believe it's denying the science just to play. But to play outside a legitimate bubble? Maybe not denying, but ignoring the likely outcome.

And if the SEC isn't denying the science, I assume LSU's first few games are going to be postponed since Ed Orgeron just told us that half his team has COVID, right?

What's the likely outcome? The fact is baseball has been playing for about six weeks now without a single case of transmission during play. After more than a month of training camp, the NFL opened its season over the weekend without a single player testing positive pregame. MLS has been playing outside the bubble for a month without a serious outbreak or evidence of player-to-player transmission. There have been no reports of outbreaks connected to any of the college games played so far.

I think the assumption that playing sports will lead to mass transmissions and outbreaks is proving false. This isn't to say infections can't or won't happen. Players will test positive and games will get postponed/canceled. It's certainly well within the realm of possibility, but there's no evidence that playing sports is reckless. (Unless you believe anything that creates potential exposure is reckless, in which case we'll agree to disagree).

As for LSU, you may be misinterpreting what Orgeron said. He didn't say half his team is currently infected. He said half his team has had COVID. As in, they had it and now they don't have it. Most of those cases (about 30) occurred in June.

[Pakuni]

@TeddyGreenstein
Northwestern Dir of Spts Medicine Jeff Mjaanes says antigen testing is so good, it can "detect a level of virus thought to be below the level of infectivity."
So positive cases can be identified and isolated before a player is contagious. HUGE.

[Galway Eagle]

@TeddyGreenstein
Northwestern Dir of Spts Medicine Jeff Mjaanes says antigen testing is so good, it can "detect a level of virus thought to be below the level of infectivity."
So positive cases can be identified and isolated before a player is contagious. HUGE.

Is that just at Northwestern or every b1g school? I ask because a school like Northwestern has access to state of the art equipment and labs that I'm unsure if some of the other B1G schools have.

[Pakuni]

Is that just at Northwestern or every b1g school? I ask because a school like Northwestern has access to state of the art equipment and labs that I'm unsure if some of the other B1G schools have.

Antigen testing will be used for the entire conference.

[Galway Eagle]

Antigen testing will be used for the entire conference.

Neat thanks

[GooooMarquette]

What's the likely outcome? The fact is baseball has been playing for about six weeks now without a single case of transmission during play. After more than a month of training camp, the NFL opened its season over the weekend without a single player testing positive pregame. MLS has been playing outside the bubble for a month without a serious outbreak or evidence of player-to-player transmission. There have been no reports of outbreaks connected to any of the college games played so far.

I think the assumption that playing sports will lead to mass transmissions and outbreaks is proving false. This isn't to say infections can't or won't happen. Players will test positive and games will get postponed/canceled. It's certainly well within the realm of possibility, but there's no evidence that playing sports is reckless. (Unless you believe anything that creates potential exposure is reckless, in which case we'll agree to disagree).

As for LSU, you may be misinterpreting what Orgeron said. He didn't say half his team is currently infected. He said half his team has had COVID. As in, they had it and now they don't have it. Most of those cases (about 30) occurred in June.

I think it's a mistake to compare baseball - a non-contact sport with about 25 players on the roster - to football - a very high-contact sport with about 75 players on a D1 roster. As for Orgeron - is LSU or the SEC releasing the dates of the positive tests in 'half his team'? Maybe you are right, but I didn't see any confirmed timeline.

Bottom line, I think time will show this was a mistake, but I am fine if we disagree.

And anyhow I am getting sick of being right on a lot of the bad stuff (reopening most states way too soon, the pipe dream of a vaccine before the end of the year, etc.), so I would be happy to be proven wrong on this one.

[Pakuni]

I think it's a mistake to compare baseball - a non-contact sport with about 25 players on the roster - to football - a very high-contact sport with about 75 players on a D1 roster. As for Orgeron - is LSU or the SEC releasing the dates of the positive tests in 'half his team'? Maybe you are right, but I didn't see any confirmed timeline.

Well, I also cited soccer, college football and NFL training camps, not just baseball. And NFL players are being tested daily and here we are, six days after the season opener and about 72 hours after most teams played, and there have been no reports of related infections. (This, of course, could change).

LSU had an outbreak of 30 or more football players getting the virus last June after many of the players visited the Tigerland bars near campus.

https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/sports/college/lsu/2020/09/16/lsu-football-covid-spike-happened-socially-coach-orgeron-honest-to-a-fault/5816165002/

As for right or wrong, I guess that depends on how one wants to judge. I think we both can agree that infections are possible, if not likely. But I wouldn't say playing was the wrong decision if infections occur. You may disagree.