The ACC will delay the start of competition for all fall sports until at least Sept. 1

[LibertyTurns]

Honestly, as soon as outbreaks start occurring on campus among the general student body (and I don’t see how they don’t occur), I think most universities will close back down/move to distance learning. There’s zero way to get college aged people to listen and follow COVID protocols.

The UCF game is 9/19. Mark your calendar. I’d have put them the last week in December. Scheduling UCF is the curse of death.

 

[ncjacket79]

I would rather have some GT football than none also. I think if "some" football is played in the fall, it will probably end up looking like scrimmage games.

I haven't heard any actual plans for spring football. I have heard commentators say that it would have to wait until after the Super Bowl. I have heard that Harbaugh has suggested having "Big 10" weekends at indoor professional stadiums to limit weather concerns. For everyone except the Big 12, you could have a six game conference schedule and play everyone in your division. Then have a conference championship game. You could have a CFP with four of the conference champions. If that season started in January, you could have most of the P5 completed by mid February, the championship games finished by the end of February, and then only four teams playing within 7 months of the 2021 season.

Something creative can be thought up. I have no idea if they will be able to play in January, or even by March. However, it doesn't cost much to come up with ideas and develop them. The teams and conferences should be developing all kinds of different scenarios, even ones that they don't think are likely.

Way back someone on talk radio pitched an idea of bubbles for college football like the NBA. Pick 2 sites for the ACC for example Pittsburgh and Atlanta. Have half of the conference at each site, contract with a few hotels so you can control the teams and play a common stadiums. Play however many games, maybe play each team twice and then the 2 best records meet somewhere for the championship game. Might not have been a bad approach after all.

 

[Deleted member 2897]

The UCF game is 9/19. Mark your calendar. I’d have put them the last week in December. Scheduling UCF is the curse of death.

Well this will be the 3rd year in the last 4 that UCF doesn’t play a full schedule. So don’t get your “hopes” up too much yet. Many people have suggested they change their mascot from the Knights to the Ducks.

 

[smokey_wasp]

Way back someone on talk radio pitched an idea of bubbles for college football like the NBA. Pick 2 sites for the ACC for example Pittsburgh and Atlanta. Have half of the conference at each site, contract with a few hotels so you can control the teams and play a common stadiums. Play however many games, maybe play each team twice and then the 2 best records meet somewhere for the championship game. Might not have been a bad approach after all.

It is a good suggestion for football, but how do you handle....school? Lol

 

[augustabuzz]

The Vietnam war protests did not start because the war was in the news. It started because people were dying that we knew or went to school with. And no one knew exactly why?

"Johnson lied, people died."

 

[RonJohn]

Way back someone on talk radio pitched an idea of bubbles for college football like the NBA. Pick 2 sites for the ACC for example Pittsburgh and Atlanta. Have half of the conference at each site, contract with a few hotels so you can control the teams and play a common stadiums. Play however many games, maybe play each team twice and then the 2 best records meet somewhere for the championship game. Might not have been a bad approach after all.

That would probably work from a virus standpoint. You would need a two to three week isolation period before play began. You would also need for the individual teams to be quarantined when practicing to prepare.

The problem I see with that is that you are isolating amateur college students. They aren't getting paid to be isolated. They won't be able to attend classes. At that point it would be 100% football, with no educational benefits.

 

[HurricaneJacket]

With the SEC and Big XII announcing schedules starting Sept 26, does the ACC push back its start date?

 

[RonJohn]

With the SEC and Big XII announcing schedules starting Sept 26, does the ACC push back its start date?

And does the ACC drop the OOC matchups in order to do so?

I think they should develop plans for all possibilities. However, they shouldn't change the announced plan until things are more certain. The Big 10 changed plans (conference only), announced a schedule with dates, and then cancelled the season a few days later. If the ACC changes the schedule this week, then modifies the schedule in two weeks, then makes more modifications the first week in September, then finally cancels the fall schedule, it will look like they don't have a clue. I think it is better to roll with what you have until you know for sure that it isn't going to work.

 

[MWBATL]

If there are 10 Big 10 athletes who have developed myocarditis from COVID-19, I can see why the Big 10 is concerned. If you look at the medical websites you see things like this:
Myocarditis can develop even in people who are asymptomatic with respect to COVID-19. Are the football programs going to give EKGs to every player every day to be sure?

Two points:
(1) how could anyone ever prove they got civd and its related problems specifically because they played a sport? One can get covid in so many ways, this strikes me as a real stretch. And, in fact, a genuine lawyer-induced panic which is unsubstantiated unless one can PROVE that they got covid because of the sports decision.
(2) is the long term risk any different from the risk of brain damage that derives from football related concessions?
Are you advocating shutting down contact sports because someone MIGHT get hurt and at some point in the future sue?
Where does one go to sue the trial lawyers for making our society so liability conscious?

 

[Coloradojacket]

Big 12 is playing in the Fall. Looks like us and the SEC are a go. The Big 10 coaches are really pissed. And the PAc 12.....who cares.

 

[Deleted member 2897]

Big 12 is playing in the Fall. Looks like us and the SEC are a go. The Big 10 coaches are really pissed. And the PAc 12.....who cares.

I didn’t realize the PAC-12 still played football and basketball.

 

[BuzzDraft]

Some of you may have seen this on TOS but I have to share it here too. We could all use a good laugh...

Nicole Auerbach posted a tweet discussing what the Big12 is intending to do. Kyle Porter of CBS had the greatest response on all this of all time...

"It's concerning that this is all going to come down to whether the Big 12 can defend the spread."

 

[RonJohn]

Two points:
(1) how could anyone ever prove they got civd and its related problems specifically because they played a sport? One can get covid in so many ways, this strikes me as a real stretch. And, in fact, a genuine lawyer-induced panic which is unsubstantiated unless one can PROVE that they got covid because of the sports decision.
(2) is the long term risk any different from the risk of brain damage that derives from football related concessions?
Are you advocating shutting down contact sports because someone MIGHT get hurt and at some point in the future sue?
Where does one go to sue the trial lawyers for making our society so liability conscious?

(1) You only have to PROVE to a jury that the athletic department is responsible for your condition. Juries are funny sometimes. If the season starts and it turns sideways, people will remember that the SEC or whoever ignored what the other conferences were looking at and put people at risk. A jury is supposed to go into a trial and pay attention to only what is presented in the trial. However, in this case they would all remember the conference/conferences that "ignored science and put kids at risk". (the public sentiment if a season goes sideways, not my view)

Also what about a kid dying during this season because of an undiagnosed myocarditis from asymptomatic COVID-19. If it comes out in a trial that Warren told Swofford about kids in the Big 10 that were found to have undiagnosed myocarditis from asymptomatic COVID-19 and that was a big part of the reason the Big 10 presidents voted to not play, that would go a long way in PROVING that the ACC knew about potential risks and ignored them.

On top of that, I saw a report that several law firms who have been involved in trials such as the tobacco lawsuits are already started circling college football looking out for situations to exploit. Those law firms have more money to litigate against the conferences than the conferences have to defend themselves. (Quite a turn on normalcy for the conferences)

(2) The long term risks of brain damage are better known than potential risks from COVID. COVID isn't the flu. I don't know that it is any more or less dangerous than the flu, but effects are not well known. If there are 10 Big 10 football players who have been diagnosed with myocarditis, that is about 0.6% of the football players. In the US annually it affects 0.03% of the population. It is an alarmingly high number of the players who have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

Can football be played without having anyone die of a heart condition caused by COVID-19? Maybe. Maybe even probably. But is probably good enough when discussing amateur athletics?

 

[BuzzDraft]

Way back someone on talk radio pitched an idea of bubbles for college football like the NBA. Pick 2 sites for the ACC for example Pittsburgh and Atlanta. Have half of the conference at each site, contract with a few hotels so you can control the teams and play a common stadiums. Play however many games, maybe play each team twice and then the 2 best records meet somewhere for the championship game. Might not have been a bad approach after all.

Putting an NBA team in a bubble involves what, 25 supposedly professional people per team? A college football operation would need to have something like 150 people per team in their bubble. And they're college kids who aren't going to be nearly as responsible about maintaining the integrity of the bubble. A bubble for a college team isn't feasible, and I don't believe they will be able to do any better than their current protocols.

 

[Deleted member 2897]

(1) You only have to PROVE to a jury that the athletic department is responsible for your condition. Juries are funny sometimes. If the season starts and it turns sideways, people will remember that the SEC or whoever ignored what the other conferences were looking at and put people at risk. A jury is supposed to go into a trial and pay attention to only what is presented in the trial. However, in this case they would all remember the conference/conferences that "ignored science and put kids at risk". (the public sentiment if a season goes sideways, not my view)

Also what about a kid dying during this season because of an undiagnosed myocarditis from asymptomatic COVID-19. If it comes out in a trial that Warren told Swofford about kids in the Big 10 that were found to have undiagnosed myocarditis from asymptomatic COVID-19 and that was a big part of the reason the Big 10 presidents voted to not play, that would go a long way in PROVING that the ACC knew about potential risks and ignored them.

On top of that, I saw a report that several law firms who have been involved in trials such as the tobacco lawsuits are already started circling college football looking out for situations to exploit. Those law firms have more money to litigate against the conferences than the conferences have to defend themselves. (Quite a turn on normalcy for the conferences)

(2) The long term risks of brain damage are better known than potential risks from COVID. COVID isn't the flu. I don't know that it is any more or less dangerous than the flu, but effects are not well known. If there are 10 Big 10 football players who have been diagnosed with myocarditis, that is about 0.6% of the football players. In the US annually it affects 0.03% of the population. It is an alarmingly high number of the players who have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

Can football be played without having anyone die of a heart condition caused by COVID-19? Maybe. Maybe even probably. But is probably good enough when discussing amateur athletics?

Imagine 0.6% of Ohio State’s student population having a bad heart condition due to COVID-19. But damn the torpedoes!

They also know of risks of CTE (pretty much every football player develops it), but that never stopped them.

Damn lawyers have convinced them of some ridiculous back bending inconsistent decisions here.

 

[RonJohn]

Imagine 0.6% of Ohio State’s student population having a bad heart condition due to COVID-19. But damn the torpedoes!

Once again, so maybe you can finally hear it. You can make plans to minimize the spread on college campuses. You cannot make plans to minimize the spread on a football field.

 

[Oldgoldandwhite]

So 18-22 year old students will not socialize or stay 6’ apart? Dating will magically disappear? No parties for a full semester?

 

[RonJohn]

Imagine 0.6% of Ohio State’s student population having a bad heart condition due to COVID-19. But damn the torpedoes!

Also, how many of the Ohio State students are going to be involved in competitive sports? The recommendations for myocarditis are not to participate in competitive sports for 3-6 months. In Europe, the recommendation is 6 months, without the 3 to preceding.

I haven't seen data or actual reports about the number of SARS-COV-2 infections that result in myocarditis. Apparently, the Big 10 has some information about Big 10 players and myocarditis, but I have only seen unofficial reports of that. It might not be a big deal. However, it might be that anyone in competitive sports who tests positive for virus or antibodies will have to get a heart check before being able to compete in athletic events. From Pros to little league. If it is an issue, people might have to get a heart check with or without a SARS-COV-2 test.

I don't know what information the Big 10 has. You don't know what information the Big 10 has. I haven't been trying to make definitive remarks about whether they were correct medically to postpone the season. You have been making very definitive remarks about that.

From a liability standpoint, I will say definitively that they are at risk. If they know that asymptomatic players end up with heart conditions that can cause death during athletic events, and they allow players to compete without EKGs before every single workout/practice/game, they will be held liable. Ask Maryland about Mcnair.

Students on campus might get COVID-19. If they go to bars and parties, they increase their chances. If they all socially distance and wear masks, they probably won't. Students on campus might get AIDS. If they practice safe sex, they probably won't. Student athletes might get COVOD-19 if they stay on campus. However, if they are not doing extreme workouts and are not competing in games, the chances that they will die from myocarditis is much smaller. (And the athletic department wouldn't be liable)

 

[herb]

So 18-22 year old students will not socialize or stay 6’ apart? Dating will magically disappear? No parties for a full semester?

yep, they are all going to do exactly what they are told. Not drink, not party, don’t date. Just straight from the dorm wearing a mask to the classroom and back. For 3 months

 

[orientalnc]

yep, they are all going to do exactly what they are told. Not drink, not party, don’t date. Just straight from the dorm wearing a mask to the classroom and back. For 3 months

I believe we had an earlier post by a Tech student saying that mask wearing and social distancing did not survive the fist day on campus. If anyone thinks it will last for two weeks they are naive beyond reason.