No 2020 College Football :-(

[Rage Against the McKee]

I'm in the camp that really doesn't care if the high school athletes have to sit out a season. It might even be a good thing overall. Sports are overemphasized in the US.

[MakeItRain]

Of all the things we can do for kids with barriers, providing organized sports opportunities for them, is way way way down that list. Their parents aren't the ones picketing offices and posting addresses of school boards. These parents are trying to figure out how to manage distance learning while working their low paying job, if they haven't lost it already and got evicted.

We all love sports, obviously, but RATM is 100% correct that as a society we place way too much value on sports, especially if we're looking for them to solve societies ills.

[SkinnyBenny]

"VYPE Kansas" is big mad

Well, here I go. Iceberg dead ahead and I am going to steer straight into it. I generally try to avoid the dark and dangerous side of social media as it relates to political or social issues. At the end of the day, my voice is just another in a jungle of voices that may or may not agree with me. Frankly, it would be exceedingly rare for me to have an opinion, and I have many, that someone else has not already expressed on social media.
That being said, the decision that USD 259 made last night to suspend fall sports and in-school learning for the fall semester has me asking questions that I simply do not find other people asking. But wait, let me check that, in the last 12 hours I have had discussions with several people who do have the same questions I have. Therein lies my first contact with the iceberg and one of the most confusing and frustrating aspects of the 259 decision. Why does it seem that the majority opinion is the quietest voice and the minority opinion is the loudest voice and seems to have all the power? I am not a scientific pollster but I talk to a lot, and I mean a lot, of people and I simply cannot find a single voice that agrees with the decision outside of some 259 administration and some 259 educators. However, they seem to dominate the conversation and the decision-making process. Why is that?
As I continue to run down the jagged edge of the iceberg my next question is, “What the heck happened to common sense and logical thinking? The Corona virus sucks. It sucks because it can take the lives of those we love, it sucks because it can make us sick, it sucks because it has disrupted our way of life and livelihood and it sucks because we don’t really know anything about it or how to contain it. It also sucks because everyone interprets the numbers in a different way and presents those numbers in the way that best aligns with their own bias. I am no epidemiologist, but I can look at real numbers and make common sense and logical conclusions based on what those numbers tell me. What the virus numbers unquestionably tell me is that the virus is extremely dangerous for the elderly and people with pre-existing health conditions. The numbers also tell me that people who are younger and in reasonably good health are not likely to be hospitalized, or God forbid, pass away. Not that much different than a strong seasonal strain of the flu. So with that common sense and logic in mind, does it make any sense for grownups to make decisions that will negatively affect our children’s entire lifetime based on not using common sense and logic but rather personal or group narrative and bias on how the numbers are interpreted? It seems to me decisions are being made under the grandiose proposition that by shutting down we are saving lives or keeping kids and grownups safe. Safe from what? The numbers simply do not support that proposition. The list of, “You are more likely to die from X than the Corona virus” is an awfully long one and it certainly seems that not much is being done to address those other factors.
Not so long ago, common sense and logic among grownups also meant that we take care of our children. That we make decisions based on what is best for them not us. Given the realities, common sense and logic of the Corona virus numbers, are we grownups really making the best decision for our kids or for us? Last night on a local news channel a teacher said something along the lines of, “I am no spring chicken. I am older and close to retirement and teachers like myself need to be kept safe.” I agree. But, does keeping you safe mean we have to ruin the lives of our younger population by making them anti-social, by making them manage a terribly inefficient learning environment, by taking away the activities that will help define who they are as adults and by taking away all the opportunities that were afforded us grownups as children? If I had an opportunity to talk to that teacher, my response to her would be, “I totally understand your fear and concern about the potential effects of the Corona virus on your personal situation. However, is it reasonable to make an entire section of the population change their behavior to accommodate your fears? Wouldn’t it be more prudent for you take personal responsibility and make decisions about your health based on those fears? Maybe you don’t teach during the virus flight? Maybe you go above and beyond to take care of yourself? What I am ultimately trying to say here is that if everyone would manage the Corona virus as a personal health initiative instead of relying on public health initiatives, we would all be better off. Yes, it sucks to be elderly and have pre-existing health issues that make the Corona virus much more dangerous for you than the average high school student but that is a problem you need to manage and not take away an extremely important, life defining time of a high school kid. In defense of teachers and harking back to my previous comment on the power of the minority voice, most teachers are overwhelmingly in favor of going back to class and coaches are overwhelmingly in favor of getting back on the field. We have lost sight of the concept of the greater good.
Now that I have cleared the iceberg and the boat is sinking, I will add a couple more comments before I go down with my ship. First, regarding my opinion on an underlying issue that is likely driving the decisions around the management of the virus, one word, “Litigation”. I believe the fear of the legal action that administrators may have to deal with associated with “staying open” is weighing heavily on final decisions. Look no future than the process by which 259 came to last night’s decision. “Local coaches and players-let’s play and go to school on time. KSHSAA-let’s play and here is a good plan of action. Governor-let’s play but start late. Board of Regents-let’s have the districts decide. USD 259-let’s play. USD 259-let’s not play.” Does that process not have legal influence written all over it?
Second word, Media. Folks, there is simply no unbiased media source on the planet anymore. They all have agendas, they all have alliances, they all have their own narrative and they are all corporately owned and those corporations have their own agendas-that is why they own media! They are all obsessed with negative content because it breeds fear and they hope fear breeds an audience. I have not seen one mainstream media outlet accurately define the Corona virus numbers. Not one.
So, I am now underwater. I suppose I should try to make my last comment a real dozy!  Here we go! Our country is known as land of the free and home of the chiefs. We may want to look in the mirror because our management of Covid has been neither.
Mike Cooper

No crap?

[wetwillie]

Of all the things we can do for kids with barriers, providing organized sports opportunities for them, is way way way down that list. Their parents aren't the ones picketing offices and posting addresses of school boards. These parents are trying to figure out how to manage distance learning while working their low paying job, if they haven't lost it already and got evicted.

We all love sports, obviously, but RATM is 100% correct that as a society we place way too much value on sports, especially if we're looking for them to solve societies ills.

If the youths don’t have sports they will turn to drugs and violence

[420seriouscat69]

Sports kept me out of trouble and active and helped me socialize. I think downplaying it is low hanging fruit and showing your age. I knew a crap ton of bad kids doing bad crap without a healthy distraction like sports. That’s fine if you want to play this card, but sports are probably the healthiest think for kids.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[420seriouscat69]

If anything, kid camps are way more worrisome than organized sports.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MakeItRain]

Sports kept me out of trouble and active and helped me socialize. I think downplaying it is low hanging fruit and showing your age. I knew a crap ton of bad kids doing bad crap without a healthy distraction like sports. That’s fine if you want to play this card, but sports are probably the healthiest think for kids.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Play what card? The point you're making isn't a rebuttal to anything I said.

[CHONGS]

He's drunk and looking for a fight.

It's pathetic.

[CHONGS]

No one here caused any of that.

Excuse after excuse with you for your behavior.

[420seriouscat69]

MIR started this, dipshit:

The Seminole tribe hasn't endorsed the use of the chop but they haven't condemned it either. Even if they did endorse the use of the chop they still shouldn't do it, as it's a cartoonish depiction. There were native americans who didn't have a problem with the Washington Redskins but that didn't make the name less problematic.

Also anyone who considers these proposed changes as cancelling are brain damaged doofuses. I'm so glad that the phrases cancelling and cancel culture are being so watered down. An entity choosing to change their bands, slogans, logos, traditions isn't cancelling, they have a choice.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[420seriouscat69]

No one here caused any of that.

Excuse after excuse with you for your behavior.

I honestly know you hate me and that’s cool, but I’m nowhere near the monster you want me to be, this is on you. You think I’m Dax level.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[michigancat]

MIR started this, dipshit:

The Seminole tribe hasn't endorsed the use of the chop but they haven't condemned it either. Even if they did endorse the use of the chop they still shouldn't do it, as it's a cartoonish depiction. There were native americans who didn't have a problem with the Washington Redskins but that didn't make the name less problematic.

Also anyone who considers these proposed changes as cancelling are brain damaged doofuses. I'm so glad that the phrases cancelling and cancel culture are being so watered down. An entity choosing to change their bands, slogans, logos, traditions isn't cancelling, they have a choice.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

WTF wacky

Time to think about laying off the sauce permanently

[420seriouscat69]

Mich, other than being mid 40’s here, what did I do wrong?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[michigancat]

Mich, other than being mid 40’s here, what did I do wrong?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You're reaching for ways to be a victim and it tends to happen in an especially negative way when you're drinking. You also seem to be confuzzled by how the message board works

[MakeItRain]

MIR started this, dipshit:

The Seminole tribe hasn't endorsed the use of the chop but they haven't condemned it either. Even if they did endorse the use of the chop they still shouldn't do it, as it's a cartoonish depiction. There were native americans who didn't have a problem with the Washington Redskins but that didn't make the name less problematic.

Also anyone who considers these proposed changes as cancelling are brain damaged doofuses. I'm so glad that the phrases cancelling and cancel culture are being so watered down. An entity choosing to change their bands, slogans, logos, traditions isn't cancelling, they have a choice.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

In another thread about another topic, nearly a week ago. Take some responsibility and get some thicker skin, it's a sports message board, it isn't a Martha Stewart Living forum.

[8manpick]

MIR started this, dipshit:

The Seminole tribe hasn't endorsed the use of the chop but they haven't condemned it either. Even if they did endorse the use of the chop they still shouldn't do it, as it's a cartoonish depiction. There were native americans who didn't have a problem with the Washington Redskins but that didn't make the name less problematic.

Also anyone who considers these proposed changes as cancelling are brain damaged doofuses. I'm so glad that the phrases cancelling and cancel culture are being so watered down. An entity choosing to change their bands, slogans, logos, traditions isn't cancelling, they have a choice.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What in the world did MIR “start” there? Last Friday, no less.

[Fedor]

anyone actually surprised by this?

There's no way anyone actually is, like we were all horned up 21 year olds at one point, right?

There's an awful lot of finger wagging. And really, we've seen similar behavior all over the country from all ages of people. Open up bars and this is what happens

Same damn story led the news up here about flood aggie

We saw Sturgis, too

I do think Sturgis is different than what's happening in college towns. Nobody made those boomers and Xers go up to South Dakota. They are also 2 to 3 times older than these college kids. You can't send these kids to these small towns then tell them they can only have part of the experience. You send your kid to college, I would think you are sending them with the expectation they are going to do college stuff.

Re: Sturgis
I had reason to be in the area of Sturgis last weekend (not related to the motorcycle rally) and have enjoyed you all finger wagging and #boomermeming, but how about we take a data driven approach instead?  This is imperfect of course, since vast numbers of people travel in to Sturgis and then leave a week later, but there can be some value in looking at the infection numbers of Meade and Pennington counties.  The day before Sturgis started the total active cases for those two counties was 139.  Today the total active cases are 135, net -4.  I will check back in the next week but so far it appears the communal mask shaming and assumption of a certain outbreak has been unwarranted...so far. 

I think we will find this can be applied to students returning to college as well.  Bringing together low risk, low infection rate populations from a large area and concentrating them in one location does not inherently mean there will be an outbreak and that everyone's grandma is being murdered.  There will be a few campuses that have issues of course, but most will probably be fine.  It is way too early but Riley County has 60 active cases as of today, we will see where this goes in the next few weeks.

Sturgis area as of 8-24 had 217 active cases and Riley County had 138, pretty significant increases in terms of percentage but maybe not in terms of population.        

[michigancat]

anyone actually surprised by this?

There's no way anyone actually is, like we were all horned up 21 year olds at one point, right?

There's an awful lot of finger wagging. And really, we've seen similar behavior all over the country from all ages of people. Open up bars and this is what happens

Same damn story led the news up here about flood aggie

We saw Sturgis, too

I do think Sturgis is different than what's happening in college towns. Nobody made those boomers and Xers go up to South Dakota. They are also 2 to 3 times older than these college kids. You can't send these kids to these small towns then tell them they can only have part of the experience. You send your kid to college, I would think you are sending them with the expectation they are going to do college stuff.

Re: Sturgis
I had reason to be in the area of Sturgis last weekend (not related to the motorcycle rally) and have enjoyed you all finger wagging and #boomermeming, but how about we take a data driven approach instead?  This is imperfect of course, since vast numbers of people travel in to Sturgis and then leave a week later, but there can be some value in looking at the infection numbers of Meade and Pennington counties.  The day before Sturgis started the total active cases for those two counties was 139.  Today the total active cases are 135, net -4.  I will check back in the next week but so far it appears the communal mask shaming and assumption of a certain outbreak has been unwarranted...so far. 

I think we will find this can be applied to students returning to college as well.  Bringing together low risk, low infection rate populations from a large area and concentrating them in one location does not inherently mean there will be an outbreak and that everyone's grandma is being murdered.  There will be a few campuses that have issues of course, but most will probably be fine.  It is way too early but Riley County has 60 active cases as of today, we will see where this goes in the next few weeks.

Sturgis area as of 8-24 had 217 active cases and Riley County had 138, pretty significant increases in terms of percentage but maybe not in terms of population.        

If I'm not mistaken the population of Sturgis is ~7000 (its county is 28k) and the population of Riley county is 71k, so it is pretty significant in terms of percentage but even more significant in terms of population. (assuming your numbers are accurate).

[Rage Against the McKee]

Sports kept me out of trouble and active and helped me socialize. I think downplaying it is low hanging fruit and showing your age. I knew a crap ton of bad kids doing bad crap without a healthy distraction like sports. That’s fine if you want to play this card, but sports are probably the healthiest think for kids.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sports are great for kids. Every other after school activity is also great for kids. These activities are either safe or unsafe, and I think you would be very hard pressed to find anything less safe than football. If any other activity is cancelled, then football should also be cancelled. It should be all or none.

[sonofdaxjones]

I'm in the camp that really doesn't care if the high school athletes have to sit out a season. It might even be a good thing overall. Sports are overemphasized in the US.

Again, it will soon only be over emphasized by those that can afford to over emphasize.   IMO, college athletics as we knew it is over.

The number of opportunities to attend college on an athletic scholarship as we move forward are going to plummet.    A move by the P5 to break away will prompt substantial litigation and legislative review.

All Post K-12 sports (besides recreational) within the next 10 years are highly likely to be professional sports, IMO.

As I said, I also suspect that same movement will overtake high school sports.   There's already multiple high school sports where the performance on the school team is nearly inconsequential.   That will soon trickle even further into basketball, and then eventually football.

[MakeItRain]

Sports kept me out of trouble and active and helped me socialize. I think downplaying it is low hanging fruit and showing your age. I knew a crap ton of bad kids doing bad crap without a healthy distraction like sports. That’s fine if you want to play this card, but sports are probably the healthiest think for kids.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sports are great for kids. Every other after school activity is also great for kids. These activities are either safe or unsafe, and I think you would be very hard pressed to find anything less safe than football. If any other activity is cancelled, then football should also be cancelled. It should be all or none.

The loudest "let them play" people seem to be real quiet about these conferences that are playing football but have cancelled soccer and volleyball. I don't really expect people to care about volleyball and soccer but it just shows the insincerity about a lot of these arguments.

[420seriouscat69]

You’re correct. One sport is the livelihood of the University, it’s employees, the community that surrounds it, etc. The other sports just exist. Thanks for coming to my TED talk about how this works.

You know this though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[sonofdaxjones]

It's absolutely stupid for any sport in any conference to be cancelled. 

Particularly if the general student body is on campus.   But even if the general student body isn't on campus, the cancellations are still extremely stupid.

[420seriouscat69]

Also, yes, let them all play. This overreaction to the pandemic is going to screw up a lot of kids futures. Who knows what HS kids missed out on scholarship opps in the Spring by not getting to play.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[catastrophe]

Given the financial impacts of COVID, though, there is a pretty decent argument to cancel the other sports as a cost cutting measure regardless of safety.