Big Ten Cancels Fall Football (CFB Thread)

[Deleted member 656517]

Why do they need new facts? 3/5 of the Power 5 conferences looked at the same information and are still planning on playing.

3/5 conferences are less liberal(I'm not going into a political debate)

 

[pvaughn8]

3/5 conferences are less liberal(I'm not going into a political debate)

Yeah I feel like if most of us were told 2/5 conferences are going to opt out of the season, we could have guessed which ones it would be.

 

[cuillini]

I’m somewhat puzzled regarding the pleas of parents and athletes that the Big Ten change its decision to cancel the 2020 football season. What new facts have the parents and athletes or do the parents and athletes intend to advance in support of their pleas ? If the pleas are simply based upon the desire of the athletes to play and the parents support of such desire, well, I assume the athletic directors, university presidents and the conference assumed that. Moreover, such desire doesn’t in any way undercut medical advice and recommendations. Assuming the decision makers relied upon advice and recommendations from medical consultants, what new facts which could impact such advice and recommendations are the players and parents relying upon ?

I believe some of the parents concerns are the lack of transparency the BIG displayed in making the decision. Parents were not informed, nor was their opinion solicited by the conference prior to the decision being handed out. They want to know what happened in the space of less than a week that derailed the schedule the BIG had already published.

 

[Innocent Primate]

I think part of the lack of transparency was due to a hope to the very end that the season could go forward. However, when time for contact drills neared and the medical opinions couldn’t guarantee measures to adequately keep the players and coaches (not to mention spectators, campuses and communities) safe, it came time to fish or cut bait.

 

[KrushCow31]

Hasn’t a statistician from U of I come out and pretty much said that the decision to cancel was more hysterical and fear-based as much as it was data-driven? I know a Michigan medical professor came out and said they more or less ignorantly interpreted the study on heart problems.

That study from Germany that found 70% of 100 people had heart damage looked at only ~50 year olds and wildly over sampled those who were hospitalized. 30% of people were hospitalized, which is nowhere near the real number. That's just 2 flaws in the study.

 

[bluemountain]

Why do they need new facts? 3/5 of the Power 5 conferences looked at the same information and are still planning on playing.

The old politburo would have been proud of the lack of transparency and the limited input given to anyone outside a very small circle of like minded people.

 

[WeWillWhen]

Is the goal to slow a pandemic that has killed 170,000 Americans in less than six months, or bend over backwards so that kids can play sports?

With the exception of Pennsylvania and maybe Maryland, the number of cases reported daily in most states where BIG schools are located has NOT appreciably declined this month. Indiana hit its highest-ever number of daily new cases just last week. I don't understand why resuming play is even a consideration as long as the number of new cases every day remains multiples higher than what it was when the country shut down in the Spring.

I'm not happy with the situation at all, but I do think that preventing deaths is more important than football games.

 

[Homecoming 2019]

Is the goal to slow a pandemic that has killed 170,000 Americans in less than six months, or bend over backwards so that kids can play sports?

With the exception of Pennsylvania and maybe Maryland, the number of cases reported daily in most states where BIG schools are located has NOT appreciably declined this month. Indiana hit its highest-ever number of daily new cases just last week. I don't understand why resuming play is even a consideration as long as the number of new cases every day remains multiples higher than what it was when the country shut down in the Spring.

I'm not happy with the situation at all, but I do think that preventing deaths is more important than football games.

I'm on the fence about it, but from the let them play perspective it seems like playing football is the last place these kids will end up transmitting Covid on campus and the increase in testing and desire to wear your mask to continue to play football will inevitably keep these kids safer than cancelling the season.

 

[WeWillWhen]

I am not buying that spending hours each day practicing a contact sport, in weight rooms/locker rooms, traveling to another state every other week, and competing every weekend against dozens of kids who might not employ the same stringent testing protocols, is *SAFER* activity than that of the typical student.

Look, I absolutely feel awful for kids at every level who are not going to be able to participate in the activities they want to this Fall (including my two high schoolers). But this country on the whole is doing a crap job containing this virus, leading to thousands of needless deaths. Covid is going to be the third leading cause of death in the USA this year (!), after only heart disease and cancer, which is terribly sad considering that most of those deaths could have been avoided if Americans had only been collectively less selfish (see: 95% of the World's other countries). I am OK with the BIG doing its little part to try to contain the spread, until the numbers get down.

 

[Illwinsagain]

If you assume they made their decision based on the facts they all saw, but came to a different conclusion, why would a parent or player's opinion/desire change that conclusion? New facts/findings could more plausibly change the conclusions (on either side of the 2/5 , 3/5).

I don't believe that there are a lot of known facts, just a lot of speculation from very smart people. This disease is less than a year old. And these smart, educated people disagree. I was very leery for any football being played, before I heard what the U of I was going to do (daily testing, anyone with a fever not participating, etc.) I do believe the players are safer playing/practicing football than going to class. The regular students are getting tested twice a week, still way ahead of the rest of the universe. The campus is going to be on some sort of lock-down, need negative test within 4 days of coming to campustown. The difference here, the admins can say, we wanted not to play, the players and families came forth and wanted to play. Their hook just became easier to get off. Also, when the B1G was announcing, there was an assumption that this was the direction that the whole NCAA would go.

And, as a parent of a U of I student, getting tested twice a week, I want her going to in person class as soon as she can. I believe it benefits her college experience, which is one of life's biggest experiences.

 

[Illwinsagain]

Yeah I feel like if most of us were told 2/5 conferences are going to opt out of the season, we could have guessed which ones it would be.

I think if most of us were told that 3/5 voted yes, the B1G would not have gone this way.

 

[Qwiksilvur]

I am not buying that spending hours each day practicing a contact sport, in weight rooms/locker rooms, traveling to another state every other week, and competing every weekend against dozens of kids who might not employ the same stringent testing protocols, is *SAFER* activity than that of the typical student.

Look, I absolutely feel awful for kids at every level who are not going to be able to participate in the activities they want to this Fall (including my two high schoolers). But this country on the whole is doing a crap job containing this virus, leading to thousands of needless deaths. Covid is going to be the third leading cause of death in the USA this year (!), after only heart disease and cancer, which is terribly sad considering that most of those deaths could have been avoided if Americans had only been collectively less selfish (see: 95% of the World's other countries). I am OK with the BIG doing its little part to try to contain the spread, until the numbers get down.

Yup. Pretty much

Positive side of things is that Illinois isn’t bringing students back to campus post thanksgiving. At that point I think it’s reasonable to conclude the Illinois testing protocols can be adopted by all Big10 institutions. In Warrens letter it mentions a winter/spring season, which may leave room for a December start date.

Although no vaccine is likely at that point, contract tracing should be significant and testing protocols—as well as a possible semi-bubble due to students leaving for thanksgiving— may significantly lower the risk to the point playing is feasible.

Honestly a lot may depend on how competent the rest of the Big10 is at implementing protocols. For all the hope Illinois is generating, MSU tried to return to school with essentially no plan at all. Mind you MSU has been essentially incompetent for decades now (see: Nassar, Larry) so I guess that’s not a surprise.

 

[Deleted member 29907]

I'm on the fence about it, but from the let them play perspective it seems like playing football is the last place these kids will end up transmitting Covid on campus and the increase in testing and desire to wear your mask to continue to play football will inevitably keep these kids safer than cancelling the season.

The issue is that there is so much more to this than playing a game on campus... there is extensive travel and close interaction with so many other individuals and teams. As much as you may trust your kid to do the right thing - you have no control over someone else's kid. Same thing with each and every team we would have to play even if we could assume the Illini were perfect in execution. Too many uncontrollables with so many kids.

 

[Deleted member 29907]

I don't believe that there are a lot of known facts, just a lot of speculation from very smart people. This disease is less than a year old. And these smart, educated people disagree. I was very leery for any football being played, before I heard what the U of I was going to do (daily testing, anyone with a fever not participating, etc.) I do believe the players are safer playing/practicing football than going to class. The regular students are getting tested twice a week, still way ahead of the rest of the universe. The campus is going to be on some sort of lock-down, need negative test within 4 days of coming to campustown. The difference here, the admins can say, we wanted not to play, the players and families came forth and wanted to play. Their hook just became easier to get off. Also, when the B1G was announcing, there was an assumption that this was the direction that the whole NCAA would go.

And, as a parent of a U of I student, getting tested twice a week, I want her going to in person class as soon as she can. I believe it benefits her college experience, which is one of life's biggest experiences.

They made their decision based on the best known information they had - which of course is not perfect. Some of that of course takes into account liability. I don't think you change that decision because the parents and players come forth and say they want to play. Leadership is all about making tough decisions sometimes against popular opinion. Its not perfect, but hopefully we're talking working our way through this for another 6 months. Seems to me, in the grand scheme of a life - we can wait it out for the sake of putting this behind us once and for all.

You also can't control what actually happens at other schools that you are playing - even if our kids / team executed to perfection - do you want to risk your kids health on the execution of those other 9?

I think everyone would agree you'd want your kid in school. Question - who's testing the townies?

 

[Deleted member 656517]

What’s the likely hood of the BIG actually coming up with a spring plan? I say just redshirt our seniors for the ones that want it, and let the others who don’t go play somewhere else this fall. If we have to alter our roster plans and take less recruits this yr so be it

 

[LJ22]

As far as I know, nearly every single football player at Illinois is legally an adult. I don't see why mom and dad feel the need to draft a letter that won't make a lick of a difference.

 

[Point-Illinois]

As far as I know, nearly every single football player at Illinois is legally an adult. I don't see why mom and dad feel the need to draft a letter that won't make a lick of a difference.

Funny you say that, because I’ve seen them called “kids” multiple times in this thread and hundreds (If not thousands) of times on this forum.

Not calling you out, just making an observation that these aren’t kids...yet are treated like them constantly.

 

[Deleted member 29907]

Sent


Unless there’s lightning, football is played in a storm often. Always has, hopeful always will.

The student/athletes who are presumably being‘kept safe’ have a greater chance of injury or God Forbid, death, from driving than playing football or going to class.
Why are we restricted young people from pursuing their dreams over an illness that 99.9 % will recover from with little or no symptoms.

Our own DIA reports no significant illness when the athletes returned this summer. LSU and Clemson have no significant illness and high percentages of their teams have had COVID-19.

But, we shouldn’t even be surprised. Freedom of Speech has died on college campuses. Football is next.

Everyone Vote! It’s the only thing we have left to do

Covid-19 is now considered something like the 3rd leading cause of death in the US. If you don't think we should take serious precautions now when time can give us a safe way of solving this (vaccines, etc.) I don't really know what to say.

The league is asking you to delay watching your team from the comfort of your couch for 6 months, not to send your firstborn off to war. The players will survive and so will their 'dreams'.

 

[pvaughn8]

Is the goal to slow a pandemic that has killed 170,000 Americans in less than six months, or bend over backwards so that kids can play sports?

I don't think stating national death statistics really proves a point here and whether college football is played or not won't impact that number. I think the decision was primarily made with concerns over player safety. With as much testing that was going to be required, the football players wouldn't pose much threat to the general population. Sure, some players will catch it but it will be detected quickly and they will be isolated.

 

[LJ22]

Funny you say that, because I’ve seen them called “kids” multiple times in this thread and hundreds (If not thousands) of times on this forum.

Not calling you out, just making an observation that these aren’t kids...yet are treated like them constantly.

Yeah, it's a middle ground, right? We call people in college "college kids" because they are legally an adult yet still in a semi-sheltered environment and learning to find their way.

I'd be mortified if my mommy or daddy emailed my professor because of something they didn't like, and I feel the same way about the parents penning this letter.

 

[Positive illini fan]

Covid-19 is now considered something like the 3rd leading cause of death in the US. If you don't think we should take serious precautions now when time can give us a safe way of solving this (vaccines, etc.) I don't really know what to say.

The league is asking you to delay watching your team from the comfort of your couch for 6 months, not to send your firstborn off to war. The players will survive and so will their 'dreams'.

We are not gonna be playing football in 6 months. Just cancel the season and allow the kids to move on, clinging to some false hope isn’t beneficial. And actually no their dreams won’t survive, over 40+ players have already opted out of the season from big ten. They won’t ever get a final season, no way of getting it back. And there is absolutely nothing safe about playing 20+ games in 8 months.

 

[altgeld88]

Yeah, it's a middle ground, right? We call people in college "college kids" because they are legally an adult yet still in a semi-sheltered environment and learning to find their way.

I'd be mortified if my mommy or daddy emailed my professor because of something they didn't like, and I feel the same way about the parents penning this letter.

I'd be interested to see the correlation between the players whose parents are lobbying conference officials aggressively and the prospective NFL prospects of those players. It seems that if significant future cash flow is at risk for a family, parents will become quite interested in preserving the probability that it will eventually materialize.

I'm implying no judgement, just observing that people respond to incentives. A significant probability of substantial future income reduces present risk aversion.

 

[sbillini]

And there is absolutely nothing safe about playing 20+ games in 8 months.

I've heard this a few times now. Can someone please explain why this is so obviously not safe? An NFL team will need to play at least 16 games in 4 months and up to 20 games to win a super bow in 6 months. Why is approx. 20 NCAA games in 8 months so obviously not safe? Obviously NFL and NCAA is different...but is it that obviously different?

 

[Deleted member 29907]

We are not gonna be playing football in 6 months. Just cancel the season and allow the kids to move on, clinging to some false hope isn’t beneficial. And actually no their dreams won’t survive, over 40+ players have already opted out of the season from big ten. They won’t ever get a final season, no way of getting it back. And there is absolutely nothing safe about playing 20+ games in 8 months.

If you don't think we're playing in 6 months, then we certainly shouldn't be playing now. So if your premise is that it is getting worse - then there is no chance of pulling it off now. There are of course no guarantees, but it seems to be a better option than just throwing the doors open now. We're learning more and finding better ways to manage this almost every week.

 

[Deleted member 29907]

I've heard this a few times now. Can someone please explain why this is so obviously not safe? An NFL team will need to play at least 16 games in 4 months and up to 20 games to win a super bow in 6 months. Why is approx. 20 NCAA games in 8 months so obviously not safe? Obviously NFL and NCAA is different...but is it that obviously different?

Yeah - I don't get this. Also, it doesn't have to be 20 games if they feel it is not safe. No spring practice obviously and summer camp can be shortened - so could a few games next season.