Get Ready for the Coach K Hate

[mattyoung18]

I someone with a bad back.The jokesters would never make fun of someone with a back injury if they only knew.But haters going to hate coach Ks excellence.

[UrinalCake]

We’ve heard from Coach K and from Pitino and from Capel. We’ve heard from dozens of broadcasters and media folks. Do you know whose opinion we haven’t heard? The actual players. I would love to know what they think. If given the choice right now to not play and still maintain their scholarship, would they want to do that? Be a “regular” student with no basketball, or go back home and take virtual classes from their bedroom? Maybe some would, but I suspect most would rather play. Which is not to say that we shouldn’t take every precaution possible, or that we should treat players as expendable. I’m not saying that at all. But I do wish we could hear from the players themselves how they feel about this issue.

[uh_no]

We’ve heard from Coach K and from Pitino and from Capel. We’ve heard from dozens of broadcasters and media folks. Do you know whose opinion we haven’t heard? The actual players. I would love to know what they think. If given the choice right now to not play and still maintain their scholarship, would they want to do that? Be a “regular” student with no basketball, or go back home and take virtual classes from their bedroom? Maybe some would, but I suspect most would rather play. Which is not to say that we shouldn’t take every precaution possible, or that we should treat players as expendable. I’m not saying that at all. But I do wish we could hear from the players themselves how they feel about this issue.

most players would play through concussions as well, but we decided as a society that's not really acceptable.

I'm not sitting on one side or the other, just pointing out that what the players want to do is not always the most important consideration.

[Bluedog]

We’ve heard from Coach K and from Pitino and from Capel. We’ve heard from dozens of broadcasters and media folks. Do you know whose opinion we haven’t heard? The actual players. I would love to know what they think. If given the choice right now to not play and still maintain their scholarship, would they want to do that? Be a “regular” student with no basketball, or go back home and take virtual classes from their bedroom? Maybe some would, but I suspect most would rather play. Which is not to say that we shouldn’t take every precaution possible, or that we should treat players as expendable. I’m not saying that at all. But I do wish we could hear from the players themselves how they feel about this issue.

They've actually already been offered that. They can choose to not play, retain their scholarship, and also get an extra year of eligibility (well, all winter athletes are getting an extra year of eligibility). There have been some B1G football players opt out this season I know.

[wsb3]

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena. *

* Theodore Roosevelt

One of my favorites, Bob. I use to have the entire quote on the wall in my office.

[budwom]

Delaying the regular season was the right call from the beginning, but better late than never. And I don't care what random people on the internet are going to say. They don't matter. The people who make decisions know what Coach K is actually about.

Indeed. It was a bad decision to start the season, and it's a mess trying to continue it/

[wsb3]

When Dickie V starts to make sense to me...

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...es/3867975001/

[Tripping William]

When Dickie V starts to make sense to me...

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...es/3867975001/

And Christine Brennan.

[Phredd3]

They've actually already been offered that. They can choose to not play, retain their scholarship, and also get an extra year of eligibility (well, all winter athletes are getting an extra year of eligibility). There have been some B1G football players opt out this season I know.

Coach K builds his entire culture such that it becomes almost impossible (or at least very, very difficult) for a single player to opt out. They live, eat, entertain themselves, and play basketball as a team. If one person goes against that, it would be a betrayal of sorts. It's why Zion wouldn't even consider sitting out the rest of the season after his shoe incident.

And it is not unique to Coach K. Most sports teams have this essential ethos, especially on smaller teams like basketball. Is it possible for one player to opt out? Sure, just like it is possible for one juror to prevent a conviction or acquittal. But it takes a lot of courage to swim against the tide.

[Duke79UNLV77]

Coach K builds his entire culture such that it becomes almost impossible (or at least very, very difficult) for a single player to opt out. They live, eat, entertain themselves, and play basketball as a team. If one person goes against that, it would be a betrayal of sorts. It's why Zion wouldn't even consider sitting out the rest of the season after his shoe incident.

And it is not unique to Coach K. Most sports teams have this essential ethos, especially on smaller teams like basketball. Is it possible for one player to opt out? Sure, just like it is possible for one juror to prevent a conviction or acquittal. But it takes a lot of courage to swim against the tide.

Andre Dawkins opted out a year for mental health reasons to deal with the loss of his sister and received full support. I think probably all of the players want to play, and Bilas's analogy to not letting players choose to continue playing outside in a lightning storm may fit.

[johnb]

Since March, we’ve known, for certain, that playing contact sports is about a few things, but very little is about the welfare of the players.

I guess we could say it’s for the athletes in non-revenue sports. Oops. The first whiff of pandemic led to mass elimination of non-revenue sports.

I guess the mental health of athletes might be improved, but what exactly is the psychological message when Duke players are breathing and snorting and banging into a bunch of strangers for a couple of hours while their classmates are depicted in cutouts?

I guess it’s good for the adults whose salary depends on the game, but it’s painful to watch our coach in his 70’s in a mediocre mask being exposed to a whole bunch of unmasked humans who are raining spit on him all night, and presumably all week. Sure, Duke has a low rate of infection, but does Illinois? Over the summer, we held Notre Dame up as a likely paragon of COVID virtue, and that school—from its president on down—has proven to be an international embarrassment.

I beat this drum every once in a while, but my pace has become desultory. Truly. How can people watch the nightly news and think it’s a great idea to play these games? How can you watch overflowing icu’s and burgeoning death rates
and sobbing physicians from all around the country, and casually toss our gladiators into the arena? I’m not even remotely amused by the cavalier, “It’s their choice. It’s a free country. America’s business is business. etc.” Since when do we leave public policy decisions to 19 year olds? How does freedom factor in when most of us have hunkered down for 9 months while a selfish minority of yahoos are ravaging the country with reckless behavior? How is it good business to kill all the customers?

[flyingdutchdevil]

Since March, we’ve known, for certain, that playing contact sports is about a few things, but very little is about the welfare of the players.

I guess we could say it’s for the athletes in non-revenue sports. Oops. The first whiff of pandemic led to mass elimination of non-revenue sports.

I guess the mental health of athletes might be improved, but what exactly is the psychological message when Duke players are breathing and snorting and banging into a bunch of strangers for a couple of hours while their classmates are depicted in cutouts?

I guess it’s good for the adults whose salary depends on the game, but it’s painful to watch our coach in his 70’s in a mediocre mask being exposed to a whole bunch of unmasked humans who are raining spit on him all night, and presumably all week. Sure, Duke has a low rate of infection, but does Illinois? Over the summer, we held Notre Dame up as a likely paragon of COVID virtue, and that school—from its president on down—has proven to be an international embarrassment.

I beat this drum every once in a while, but my pace has become desultory. Truly. How can people watch the nightly news and think it’s a great idea to play these games? How can you watch overflowing icu’s and burgeoning death rates
and sobbing physicians from all around the country, and casually toss our gladiators into the arena? I’m not even remotely amused by the cavalier, “It’s their choice. It’s a free country. America’s business is business. etc.” Since when do we leave public policy decisions to 19 year olds? How does freedom factor in when most of us have hunkered down for 9 months while a selfish minority of yahoos are ravaging the country with reckless behavior? How is it good business to kill all the customers?

Sadly, because the target audience (18-65) isn't as much at risk compared to the population primarily hospitalized and dying of COVID (80% of deaths are 65+).

[Bluedog]

Coach K builds his entire culture such that it becomes almost impossible (or at least very, very difficult) for a single player to opt out. They live, eat, entertain themselves, and play basketball as a team. If one person goes against that, it would be a betrayal of sorts. It's why Zion wouldn't even consider sitting out the rest of the season after his shoe incident.

And it is not unique to Coach K. Most sports teams have this essential ethos, especially on smaller teams like basketball. Is it possible for one player to opt out? Sure, just like it is possible for one juror to prevent a conviction or acquittal. But it takes a lot of courage to swim against the tide.

Yes, I agree. There is a lot of pressure to play in this situation. Was merely giving the information that theoretically the "choice" is there and schools/NCAA have been flexible on the rules, but I agree that it takes more "courage" to really stand out in this way. There is a lot of peer pressure to continue on and many players would think a move like that is "selfish."

[MChambers]

Since March, we’ve known, for certain, that playing contact sports is about a few things, but very little is about the welfare of the players.

I guess we could say it’s for the athletes in non-revenue sports. Oops. The first whiff of pandemic led to mass elimination of non-revenue sports.

I guess the mental health of athletes might be improved, but what exactly is the psychological message when Duke players are breathing and snorting and banging into a bunch of strangers for a couple of hours while their classmates are depicted in cutouts?

I guess it’s good for the adults whose salary depends on the game, but it’s painful to watch our coach in his 70’s in a mediocre mask being exposed to a whole bunch of unmasked humans who are raining spit on him all night, and presumably all week. Sure, Duke has a low rate of infection, but does Illinois? Over the summer, we held Notre Dame up as a likely paragon of COVID virtue, and that school—from its president on down—has proven to be an international embarrassment.

I beat this drum every once in a while, but my pace has become desultory. Truly. How can people watch the nightly news and think it’s a great idea to play these games? How can you watch overflowing icu’s and burgeoning death rates
and sobbing physicians from all around the country, and casually toss our gladiators into the arena? I’m not even remotely amused by the cavalier, “It’s their choice. It’s a free country. America’s business is business. etc.” Since when do we leave public policy decisions to 19 year olds? How does freedom factor in when most of us have hunkered down for 9 months while a selfish minority of yahoos are ravaging the country with reckless behavior? How is it good business to kill all the customers?

Boy, do I agree with your points! I have felt uneasy about the opening of the college basketball season from the start, and wondered whether I should even watch the games. At this point, with the pandemic surging throughout the country, I don't see how playing right now makes any sense at all.

[Matches]

It wouldn’t bother me if they shut it down until they can have fans in attendance. College basketball in its present form does not work without fans. I love the sport, but let’s face it - the quality of play has steadily declined over the last 10-15 years. The games are slower than ever before. There are too many stoppages of play. The officiating is inconsistent at best, and poor at worst. UVA exists.

The thing that’s been sustaining the sport is the pageantry, the environment. Players play HARD even when they don’t play well. The rivalries are intense. The games matter to people, and they let you know it with their enthusiasm on the court and in the stands.

Take away the fans, and the whole thing is lifeless. There’s nothing left but the quality of play, which is increasingly poor. And that’s not even taking into account the icky feeling of watching people run around exposing themselves to a deadly virus.

[sagegrouse]

Since March, we’ve known, for certain, that playing contact sports is about a few things, but very little is about the welfare of the players.

I guess we could say it’s for the athletes in non-revenue sports. Oops. The first whiff of pandemic led to mass elimination of non-revenue sports.

I guess the mental health of athletes might be improved, but what exactly is the psychological message when Duke players are breathing and snorting and banging into a bunch of strangers for a couple of hours while their classmates are depicted in cutouts?

I guess it’s good for the adults whose salary depends on the game, but it’s painful to watch our coach in his 70’s in a mediocre mask being exposed to a whole bunch of unmasked humans who are raining spit on him all night, and presumably all week. Sure, Duke has a low rate of infection, but does Illinois? Over the summer, we held Notre Dame up as a likely paragon of COVID virtue, and that school—from its president on down—has proven to be an international embarrassment.

I beat this drum every once in a while, but my pace has become desultory. Truly. How can people watch the nightly news and think it’s a great idea to play these games? How can you watch overflowing icu’s and burgeoning death rates
and sobbing physicians from all around the country, and casually toss our gladiators into the arena? I’m not even remotely amused by the cavalier, “It’s their choice. It’s a free country. America’s business is business. etc.” Since when do we leave public policy decisions to 19 year olds? How does freedom factor in when most of us have hunkered down for 9 months while a selfish minority of yahoos are ravaging the country with reckless behavior? How is it good business to kill all the customers?

Sadly, because the target audience (18-65) isn't as much at risk compared to the population primarily hospitalized and dying of COVID (80% of deaths are 65+).

Can't do justice to these posts in just a few seconds, but the test being applied is "as compared to the rest of the student body." The judgment that athletes, under the protocols supposedly in place, are at no greater risk than other students, who may (at Duke) or may not (at a bunch of other places) be under strict protocls.

[Kfanarmy]

Andre Dawkins opted out a year for mental health reasons to deal with the loss of his sister and received full support. I think probably all of the players want to play, and Bilas's analogy to not letting players choose to continue playing outside in a lightning storm may fit.

Maybe we should start a list of dangers Jay Bilas thinks these young athletes should not be allowed to take and impose them? Just have to figure out where exactly the risk line is worth it and not worth it and publish it. I mean right now there is a significant chance that a D1 offensive lineman's knees will be so significantly affected that at age 60, he won't be able to walk. Should we allow that? Have you seen Bill Walton walk? Certainly that quality of life change has a much higher risk of happening than significant COVID illness in a college BBall player.

[stedge]

I'm all for punting the season. Never should have started. And K shouldn't care about wins or losses on his record. Offer forfeits, take all the losses onto the record, and keep the kids safe. That would be both best for all the kids (ours and others those we'd play) and shut up the idiots.

[FerryFor50]

Alabama's head coach has some thoughts...

https://twitter.com/CecilHurt/status...984587271?s=20

coats.jpg

[ClemmonsDevil]

Pretty brave to call out K. I was in the gym for the "double standard" game. It is fine to take a shot at the king like K did at Dean that night...provided you don't miss. K didn't.