Very true.
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No one is forcing anyone to play football. Anyone that feels unsafe doesn’t have to play. If football players didn’t play football for every health risk (to their age group) to something like COVID then they would have quit long ago, because it simply isn’t a real health risk to almost anyone in their age bracket. The CDC Came out the other day with a study that estimates that 20 million people in the US have already had COVID. If that is actually correct my car wreck analogy is correct. Even if they aren’t the point remains.
https://www.npr.org/sections/coronav...-at-highest-ri
I agree the point generally remains regardless of what the data show. Life/death risks is low to football players and you're right that they knowingly assume the risks. HOWEVER It's another variable on top of a sport that's already riddled by significant risks. Numbers are down everywhere in youth football, which is to be expected, especially right now.
But again, life/death isn't the issue here. It's hospital bed space and ICU bed space. Nobody has clearly communicated that to the American people. Nobody has a "shared goal" in any of this. Every TV station is reporting numbers. IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE IT. It only matters how many people we can effectively treat at a given time. Monitor that. Measure it. Report it. And dictate social distancing and mask MANDATES based on that.
There is a game plan to manage this. It was created under Obama and why it was rejected on its face (in my opinion). There is a 17 page classified CDC response plan specific to this pandemic that was thrown out the window too.
Had we followed any of these guidelines everyone would know when we open, when we close, and how close we are to opening and closing at any given moment. Instead we just fly by the seat of our pants and wing it. So... we'll see what happens to football in the short term, but long term the hospitals are going to become incapacitated and we will have to shut down again. Again, just my opinion, but this is the biggest failure of leadership in the history of the United States.
Hospitals are not going to become incapacitated so long as the average age of the infected remains where it is. Hospitalizations have risen in part to allowing more patients and the ones who are coming in for covid aren’t staying as long because younger people don’t take as long to get over this virus. If the infection age starts rising then we will have a concern. As of right now things are going about as well as possible throughout the country with the exception of a few places and the media is acting like the exact opposite is happening. Cases going up and deaths going down for 10 straight weeks is an outstanding trend and what everyone should be talking about, but it doesn’t fit the narrative.
Arizona is about to tap out.
The fact that you are choosing to look at a minuscule amount of states closing down while ignoring the vast majority that are not says enough. The overwhelming majority of the country is absolutely fine with bed space. But what would I know about bed space? I only managed it for the entire CENTCOM AOR for a year. Carry on.
Not every state has as good a set of public stats as Mississippi. However, in Mississippi, ICU occupancy has been relatively flat for 6 weeks in the 145 to 168 range. Two months ago, we had occupancy of 240 or more. So the curve in Mississippi is not only flattened, but there is ample room for a spike.
Football and hoops ain’t happening this school year for college or high school because no one in a leadership capacity can take the risk of being in favor of it. Maybe some NFL but I doubt it.
For the record, I’m for mask optional at all times inside or out; let the virus run its cycle bc 60-80 percent of the population is going to get it no matter what.
50% are asymptomatic
The remaining 49% are flulike
College baseball may happen in the spring bc it’s outdoors.
1% serious and they’re all over 60
College sports are done for the foreseeable future. This is going to bankrupt many conferences and schools.
I agree. The thing is I think most of them want to do just that. And the ones that don't should just be given the option to sit.
The other thing is I don't think spring football is very viable of an option. If you play 12 games that's going to take the season to May. If you only do conference games that takes you to April. Either way there is about half the time for players to rest, develop, and etc. in the offseason and all of the preseason/spring stuff would have to roll right into the summer almost just as soon as the regular season ends. To me, it seems like that would be like telling a pitcher "hey, normally you're going to throw 100 innings a year competitively but now it's going to be 200". It just seems very unsafe to do that.
Not sure about HS because it's a completely different dynamic, but I'm thinking the opposite as you for college.... The leaders can't afford NOT to take the risk. The alternative is going broke, defaulting on loans, mass layoffs, etc. Unless they legally can't do it or the players just refuse to play, they will find a way to play some sort of college football season. Too much on the line for them not to.