The discussions about the Coronavirus that do not relate to sports should really be taken to this thread on the off-topic board. Please confine your discussions here to the issue of when and how sports return to action.
I agree with you—schools and athletic departments have come to rely on the money (even when athletic depts lose money, it’s often still an overall PR/donation win for the college, and certainly a win for the football coach with the 7 figure salary—and athletic P&L’s are probably as straightforward as those related to big Hollywood movies, where the amount of “profit” is probably related to whose income is based on a percentage of profit).
Anyway, I was talking about whether Duke should play football in the fall.
The decision has become largely a political one for many big state universities. Hard to imagine the politicians and trustees involved in a land grant state university in a red state (eg, all the Big 12 or SEC schools) widely speaking out against playing football. It’d be akin to telling folks not go to church, which is most effectively/safely said from the pulpit.
Lincoln Riley from OU is the first coach I’ve seen who’s said the early practices are crazy, but I think more will speak out, especially when players get sick or, more likely, infect their grandmothers or coaches.
All the initial workout plans seems fine—distancing, packaged snacks, no showers, gloves, etc etc. but when the pedal hits the metal, both basketball and football involve a lot of respiratory interchange. I guess athletes can try to stay sequestered on campus, but many athletes come from inner cities where social distancing is a fantasy, and they’ll inevitably be socializing with students who can’t all be sequestered. Since some schools have already announced that their screening will consist of temp checks and testing only of the symptomatic (which is like saying that you’re screening for pregnancy by watching abdomens and ice cream consumption) there will inevitably be players who get sick.
This is exactly the time when I’d like to see Duke tread water with its athletes for as long as possible, and, unless things get dramatically better, opt not to be reckless—regardless of what their peers decide.
The discussions about the Coronavirus that do not relate to sports should really be taken to this thread on the off-topic board. Please confine your discussions here to the issue of when and how sports return to action.
Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?
Hi Johnb, thanks for your posts here, I am enjoying them. A couple of quick points.
1. Players that are on campus practicing should not be seeing their grandmothers. Schools need to have a quarantine period before students return home particularly if there are vulnerable people in the family home.
2. a zero tolerance policy for illness among student athletes is not the right standard. That will not even be achievable when we have a vaccine. Ill students and ones who test positive will need to be isolated and "close" (as determined by public health experts) contacts will need to be quarantined. The question will be are there enough players left to field a team.
"This is the best of all possible worlds."
Dr. Pangloss - Candide
App State joins the growing list of schools that are dropping sports.
Axed are men's soccer, men's tennis, and men's indoor track & field. Interesting that no women's sports were affected.
https://www.wralsportsfan.com/appala...ield/19115063/
Q "Why do you like Duke, you didn't even go there." A "Because my art school didn't have a basketball team."
That's a good take, john...I suspect Duke will cautiously move along with others. There's no telling as to how this will play out, I definitely agree that were it not for the Money (capital M) they'd probably consider it to be an illogical activity.
I could definitely see some schools retreating on this if it becomes obvious that too many cases are occurring.
UNC has announced this reopening schedule:
June 1 — Facilities staff members
June 8 — Sports Medicine staff
June 12 — Coaching staffs for football, men's basketball and women's basketball
June 12-July 1 — Football student-athletes, in four separate groups (June 12, 19, 26, 29)
June 15 — Strength and Conditioning, Equipment and Administration staff members
June 22 — Coaching staffs for field hockey, volleyball, men's and women's soccer and cross country
July 6 — Men's and women's basketball student-athletes
July 13 — Field hockey, volleyball, men's and women's soccer and cross country student-athletes
August 3 — Coaches and student-athletes from the remainder of our teams, and remaining department staff members
This seems incredibly aggressive at a time when there's no real evidence that Covid-19 is abating in NC. Circumstances are considerably more dangerous now that when student athletes were sent home in March. Will all the students return? Will older coaches, such as Roy Williams return? Under state guidelines, at his age, he has no business returning to work on campus.
^ state guidelines seem to be out the window in NC and other places. The pressure has been too much...interesting test cases all over the country will be most informative, but the way things are playing out in NC, there's no way in the world I'd visit there now (as I so often do), and if I lived there I'd be hunkered down...I know how crowded those college dorms are, can't imagine how that's going to work out.
FWIW, today Worldometer lists N.C. deaths from Coronavirus as 85/million population. The number of deaths per population size is substantially below most states East of the Mississippi. Not arguing that college dorms will be safe; but our deaths per million are comparatively low to date.
The fact is that hospitalizations are at an all time high there for the virus...and the five day rolling average of new cases/day is higher than it was 14 days ago...so the trend is not particularly good, certainly not so good as to justify a wide opening up of services...but I understand the forces being brought to bear...
No word yet about athletics but at this point Duke is planning to reopen to students this fall. I hope it works.
I was talking to a member of the Duke media relations staff earlier this week. Duke has had internal discussions about when, where and under what circumstances the media will be allowed in. Will the Tuesday football media lunch become virtual? TBD.
And I turned 70 earlier this month. Under what circumstances do I even want to attend games and media availabilities?
That's why I get paid the big bucks, I suppose.
They’re starting the semester on 8/17/20.
https://coronavirus.duke.edu/2020/05...-on-fall-2020/
I’m 70 too. This seems unwise to me.
Most of what I thought would happen did:
- staggered arrival
- testing before students allowed on campus
- social distancing in classes that meet in person
- limited in-person dining
- restricted access to campus spaces
Other things that duke followed suit on:
- starting earlier and finishing before thanksgiving
- no fall break
- spring starts later
- no spring break
April 1
That is the geezer math right now, and as a fellow geezer I see zero chance of attending games this Fall...as much as schools are addicted to the football money, I suspect a lot of (non SEC) schools will not be hurrying to fill stadiums..got a new 55" TV arriving today to soften the blow .
If a student gets the virus- they will be quarantined and others that they were in contact may as well. If Duke gives athletes an exemption- this will not go well. In addition all students must wear masks. Again I don’t see how this will work for sports. It is easier to have sports at the pro level- where they can operate with different rules and where there is a supply of minor leaguers and scout team players etc to fill needs- but unless schools decide to treat athletes as a special group- it will be very hard to have games in the Fall.