Big Ten Cancels Fall Football (CFB Thread)

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#3      
This seems like the most prudent course.

I’ve usually thought this way, but I’m not sure what they think will be different in the spring. If cases are down, they’ll just face pressure to cancel/postpone to keep them down, and if there is a vaccine literally tomorrow, they’ll still face pressure to cancel/postpone in the spring because not enough people are vaccinated. Then, of course, there is the ever-realistic scenario of the spring being no better AND there being no vaccine.

I don’t have strong opinions on this and certainly don’t have all the answers, but it seems more and more each day like we’re just kicking the can down the road. If we find ourselves postponing things in Fall 2021 due to COVID, you’re just going to have people flat out disregarding any healthcare advice, rather than measures (e.g., no fans or masks required for staff) that people see as insufficient.
 
#4      

Dan

Admin
Big Ten Statement on 2020-21 Fall Season

The Big Ten Conference announced the postponement of the 2020-21 fall sports season, including all regular-season contests and Big Ten Championships and Tournaments, due to ongoing health and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In making its decision, which was based on multiple factors, the Big Ten Conference relied on the medical advice and counsel of the Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee.

https://bigten.org/news/2020/8/11/general-big-ten-statement-on-2020-21-fall-season.aspx
 
#5      

Illiniaaron

Geneseo, IL
So the point of starting practice and coming out with a schedule last week was what exactly? Big Ten is in complete disarray. Playing in the Spring will be difficult for several reasons, Fighter is correct. If asymptomatic positive tests are enough to disrupt a season, that is a high bar that will never be reached.
 
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#6      
Come on Nike, Under Armour or Adidas, step up and invent the world's best athletic breathable mask for athletes. We can put a man on the moon...
 
#7      

JJE

Bethalto, IL
The Big Ten has some of the most elite schools in the country, they had five months to plan and prepare for every scenario and this was the best they could do? This was the definition of bungling something.
 
#8      
This is what I expected. Hopefully we have a vaccine by the end of the year and sports can get back to mostly normal.
 
#11      

Krombopulos_Michael

Aurora, Illinois (that’s a suburb of Chicago)
The Big Ten has some of the most elite schools in the country, they had five months to plan and prepare for every scenario and this was the best they could do? This was the definition of bungling something.
This was honestly the only thing they could do given all available data. I hate that it’s come to this but it is what it is.

I am annoyed however as well bc it seems as though for many involved, this was not even a remote possibility until Dan Patrick broke the news, and you’d have thought the presidents/administrators would have discussed every option with coaches and players.
 
#13      

Ransom Stoddard

Ordained Dudeist Priest
Bloomington, IL
For those asking what will be different by spring, the answer is: 6 more months to develop a vaccine.
 
#15      
They made the correct call IMO.

That’s a fair take, but I’ll bet you will oppose playing in the spring, too ... and fall 2021 ... if the metric is, “Will there be real risk of transmitting the virus?” There will be until 75%+ are vaccinated (YEARS from now) or we have herd immunity (YEARS from now). Everything before will carry risk of increasing the spread, period. Low cases in spring 2021? We‘ll start the season, they’ll predictably go up and we’ll panic and cancel it. Even if that panic is warranted, it begs the question if there’s any end game in sight ... which then again begs the question to the powers that be of what on Earth will be so magically different about spring 2021, fall 2021 or any other future timeframe until one of those two conditions are met?
 
#16      
Hopefully the other conferences follow suit. With the current rate of cases its hard to imagine that going forward with football won't lead to at least a few outbreaks. If that happens, i'm not sure we will see winter sports regardless of the case rate, which would be a nightmare given our current basketball roster.
 
#18      

KrushCow31

Former Krush Cow
Chicago, IL
I get the move, but I don't necessarily agree with it. A large chunk of our team has already had the virus, and I'm sure the same is true for many other teams. Myocarditis is definitely a concern, but this exists for all viral infections, it hasn't new for Coronavirus.
 
#19      

Ransom Stoddard

Ordained Dudeist Priest
Bloomington, IL
What difference will that make in people’s worry about playing if not enough people have been vaccinated by then, though?
Thats putting the cart before the horse, I think. Step 1 is develop and approve a vaccine. Step 2 is administration of vaccines. Step 3 is public confidence.
 
#20      
So the point of starting practice and coming out with a schedule last week was what exactly? Big Ten is in complete disarray. Playing in the Spring will be difficult for several reasons, Fighter is correct. If asymptomatic positive tests are enough to disrupt a season, that is a high bar that will never be reached.

The Big Ten has some of the most elite schools in the country, they had five months to plan and prepare for every scenario and this was the best they could do? This was the definition of bungling something.

We found about possible long term heart complications like two weeks ago. They can't plan for that. They planned for what they knew about and adjusted the schedule accordingly. Plans change with new information.
 
#21      

skyIdub

Winged Warrior
Just start preparing yourselves (family, friends) for the vaccine card that will be coming with said potential vaccines. Don't have one? You don't get in.
Wait for it.
 
#24      
So the point of starting practice and coming out with a schedule last week was what exactly? Big Ten is in complete disarray. Playing in the Spring will be difficult for several reasons, Fighter is correct. If asymptomatic positive tests are enough to disrupt a season, that is a high bar that will never be reached.
This! The problem with the whole Covid situation is that the goal posts keep moving. First it was lockdown for two weeks...flatten the curve and don't overwhelm the hospitals, then it was a few more weeks...then months. Now the narrative has changed completely in that a mere asymptomatic result merits quaranting. There is no doubt that at some point during the season a player or players test positive and then the decision about whether the entire team should be banned comes up. These young people are not at high risk unless they have undelying conditions. The key is protecting vulnerable players and staff. College age kids represent just over a tenth of a percent of all COVID deaths. Players could be offered "free" redshirt year. I think the bigger issue is that whether the players signed on to the season or not eventually there will be a lawsuit...
 
#25      

DoctorOrange

Chicago, IL
And I could get struck by lightning or hit by a bus this afternoon. Not likely though. This is NOT about safety. This is solely about liability issues.

I think that's only partially true. The likelihood of getting COVID at this point is much higher given it's prevalence throughout the US. As we've seen with baseball, it's hard to prevent an outbreak on a team. All it takes is for a couple players on a team to contract it to everybody and then all 85 players are at risk. It's not inconceivable that one of those players could have long term consequences from this disease. That's going to be hard for schools to swallow.

For those asking what will be different in 6 months?

1. It's likely that a vaccine (if functional) will start to be administered to people (yes, it takes time but it is something)
2. Treatments will improve as they already have the last 6 months
3. Hopefully the daily cases will be way down (This is obviously a big if) provided people take this seriously
4. Testing protocols will be better developed for contact tracing

But it is definitely possible that things aren't that different and we lose an entire collegiate sports season which would be absolutely the most "That's so Illinois" thing to happen ever.
 
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