Quote Originally Posted by Johnson85 View Post
There absolutely are. You can see some posts that accuse people of wanting to let kids play sports of putting kids lives in danger to be entertained. And others that clearly think kids wanting to do things like rec league or high schools sports, or social activities like school dances, or going on beach vacations are being frivolous. They are so worried about their health and their fear of getting sick that they compare everything in the granular against the thought of they themselves dying, and so they are incapable of looking at the big picture and realizing how little sense their positions make when you aggregate the costs and benefits across the whole population.


Well, I'm afraid you can go ahead and get ready to see your greatest fear b/c it seems likely it's going to happen in some places. Populated areas can handle a few super spreader events and it may tax the system, but it's still basically just really loud noise. One super spreader event in a very rural area can hit a significant portion of the population by itself. Going to be a lot more volatility in rural communities, with it being easier for them to avoid the virus on a day to day basis, but much easier to hit a big portion of their population when they do have community events.
Appreciate your viewpoint.

Since this is a sports board, I will start there. I think that we are so consumed with sports that we let it overshadow the fact that it is not essential. I'm all for letting professional sports continue as they see fit, but I think you have to tread carefully when talking about high school or college sports. I think if our universities are so dependent on athletic revenue to balance their operating budgets - then something has gone amiss and this situation has brought to light the imbalance of what an institution of higher learning should be about. It isn't about "fear mongering" or "not seeing the bigger picture" - it is more about whether an activity is essential enough to waive the risks. If the general population feels like that sports at lower levels are essential enough to deal with kids potentially getting sick, then go for it. If a majority think the risks don't warrant cancelling, then have at it. You're going to have detractors and views for both sides. I don't know which side is correct, but I do know sports are entertainment.

To the same point, what are the largest events that typically happen in a rural area in the fall? Don't football games bring people together to sit in stands and root for their team? If you have an asymptomatic spreader that doesn't believe in the data and chooses to forgo a mask, wouldn't a football game where a majority of the community will attend provide an event for it to spread? Just a thought.

Full disclosure - my kid is prepping to play football this fall and is currently playing a league sport right now. My wife and I have discussed the situation and made the decision that we are going to continue our lives as best we can through this pandemic, while also being aware and doing our best to protect those around us by wearing masks. The virus isn't prevalent to a large degree in our current community, so no need to hunker down and be recluses.