# College Sports Are All But Dead



## fmdog44 (Aug 11, 2020)

The PAC 12 and Big 10 will not play and the other sports will not play as well. This is the beginning. Hotels, restaurants and vendors will take a hit as well.   Colleges will lose about 80 billion dollars this year. It's bad enough staying indoors so much but football would have helped. The networks will lose tons of money as well.


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## AnnieA (Aug 11, 2020)

It's nuts to have students living on campus and not play sports ...even with very limited numbers of spectators.  They're crammed into dorms and apartments, are not the age to be affected badly on a large scale and college students don't always make the wisest socializing decisions in the best of times.  The athletes were to get twice a week testing as part of plans to play but I imagine won't now.  But they'll still have exposure risk just by being residential students.


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## PamfromTx (Aug 11, 2020)

I have never been a college sports lover.


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## Pappy (Aug 12, 2020)

Oh how I’m going to miss my college football and basketball. Always look forward to the season. Damn virus. Sure has messed everything up...


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## Don M. (Aug 12, 2020)

All sports are being impacted.  Several baseball games have already been cancelled, and I suspect that when football and basketball season arrives, those games will also be affected.  It's kind of weird watching a baseball game on TV with cardboard cutouts in the stands.


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## fmdog44 (Aug 12, 2020)

I believe the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team has missed 18 games and counting so far this shortened season.


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## JustBonee (Aug 12, 2020)

First college,  then the Pros  ...    no one wants to face the inevitable.


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## Don M. (Aug 12, 2020)

fmdog44 said:


> I believe the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team has missed 18 games and counting so far this shortened season.



Yes, St. Louis has been hit especially hard this season.  I've been watching the KC Royal games on ESPN, and even that team has 3 or 4 players in quarantine.  The sports are going to All be iffy this year, and I won't be surprised if the World Series isn't cancelled.


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## WhatInThe (Sep 7, 2020)

A saw headline where college towns are starting to really get hit on the local economy. Yeah taxes funding these money making institutions is an issue but so is a bad local economy. In a way it shows how propped/hyped up and/or contrived many of these sports programs are.


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## Phoenix (Sep 8, 2020)

Sports bore me, flat out.  Playing them is not worth anyone's life.


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## AnnieA (Sep 8, 2020)

Mississippi State starts up next weekend!  ACC and Big 12 start up this weekend so there will be live games to watch!


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## AnnieA (Sep 8, 2020)

Phoenix said:


> Sports bore me, flat out.  Playing them is not worth anyone's life.



Different strokes for different folks.  The guys that play football love it!  We hear lots of glory days and "I wish I were still playing" stories as guys age out of the game down here.  As far as risking lives playing or with Covid-19, this age group has a far, far greater chance of being seriously injured or killed driving or riding as a passenger in a vehicle than playing in a  game or experiencing C19 complications.  As high testosterone guys in their late teens, early 20s, they'd be expending energy in other close contact activities anyhow... And  it's a risk they're willing to take to do something they love just as those who participate in rock climbing, white water kayaking ...any high risk activity.  There are plenty of people who choose not to live life in a protective bubble.


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## Phoenix (Sep 8, 2020)

No one should put others at risk.


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## 911 (Sep 8, 2020)

The only dominant conference this season will be the SEC. So, I guess that the Conference Champion will also be crowned the National Champion?


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## AnnieA (Sep 8, 2020)

911 said:


> The only dominant conference this season will be the SEC. So, I guess that the Conference Champion will also be crowned the National Champion?



Clemson will give us a run for the money!  And I still haven't given up on the Big 10 reversing their decision.  The presidential candidates have both made their cancelled season an issue because of the swing states impact and the fact that a lot of fans, players and parents in the league area are not only angry about the cancellation but also how poorly Kevin Warren has handled it.


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## tbeltrans (Sep 8, 2020)

Since I was raised with the concept that if you are interested in something, do it, rather than watching others do it.  As a result, I have never developed an interest in watching sports.  However, since I do have activities that I take a real interest in, I can certainly understand the issues for people who have an interest in sports.

I do believe that sports has gained far more prominence in our (US) culture than (in my personal opinion), it should.  It seems to generate huge amounts of money for those colleges and universities that host teams.  I know that in our university system, coaches get paid far more than professors do, and the sports departments are first to get available money.  The argument is that it is the college sports that attracts alumni money, so give them what they need to attract that money.

Fortunately, I went to a university that did not host sports teams, and therefore the school's focus was on education.

As with anything in life, there can be too much of a good thing, and sports seems to have reached that point in our culture.  I don't bother to watch local commercial news because it is mostly ads and sports, with a brief moment of news.  If two people are talking and one indicates that s/he is from another area in the country, you will most certainly hear "Go <insert name of that local team>".  It all seems rather silly to me, and it wouldn't if sports was just another part of the fabric of our culture rather than dominating it.

So just maybe, sports will take a more normal place in our culture after the COVID-19 situation has been dealt with through whatever medical means comes to pass.  I don't want to see sports go away, but instead be treated with a more reasonable hand.

Just so that it doesn't seem that I am picking on sports, here is a question to ponder: Why is it that those who play the part of front line workers (cops, firefighters, doctors, nurses, etc.) in movies, make so much more money than those they are portraying?

You see, these weird things are happening all over, and not just in sports. 

Tony


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## ruffruff (Sep 8, 2020)

College sports are a big deal, but covid 19 is a far bigger deal


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## AnnieA (Sep 8, 2020)

tbeltrans said:


> ...Just so that it doesn't seem that I am picking on sports, here is a question to ponder: Why is it that those who play the part of front line workers (cops, firefighters, doctors, nurses, etc.) make so much more money than those they are portraying?...



Technology.  Before radio and TV ...now internet streaming, performers were paid based on the number of spectators who could fit in a given venue.  Technology has increased the audiences from hundreds or several thousand to billions so the performers are making money proportionally based on the number of viewers.


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## AnnieA (Sep 8, 2020)

ruffruff said:


> College sports are a big deal, but covid 19 is a far bigger deal



Not too much for the fit players. A handful have developed post-viral myocarditis as is the case after any virus,  but that's easily seen with an MRI and they're being monitored closely for that.   Like I said above, that age dies by the thousands each year in auto accidents.  600+ have died this year in that age group from Covid-19 and I'd imagine obesity and other existing health problems were a factor.  

As for spectators, our state is limiting stadium capacity to 25% with family/friend groups that already live in contact with each other to be seated  6 feet or more from other groups.  Masks are required at all times except when the groups are seated.


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## Mrs. Robinson (Sep 8, 2020)

My grandson is playing football for Central Methodist University in Missouri. They were supposed to shut down the school when they reached 40 cases. Last I heard,a week ago,they were at 80 cases. Students,teachers and coaches. First game was supposed to be this Saturday,but was pushed back to next Saturday.I doubt they will play at all.He says it is all about money and that the school will end up closing if they have to go to distance learning-although their original plan was to go to distance learning after Thanksgiving anyway,as they felt that Covid would be brought back to campus after Thanksgiving getogethers. Here is what he texted his mom today.....


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## 911 (Sep 8, 2020)

If COVID-19isn’t a big deal for the younger generation, then why not play with the exception being that anyone with one or more of the crucial underlying conditions would be exempted? If people are willing to risk their health for a cause, I feel playing sports at least gives something back to the athletes other than just lip service.


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## gennie (Sep 8, 2020)

Just wondering ..... can bookies claim loss of earnings compensation because of no games being played?  Will their job loss be counted in virus statistics?  Inquiring minds and all that.


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## tbeltrans (Sep 8, 2020)

AnnieA said:


> Technology.  Before radio and TV ...now internet streaming, performers were paid based on the number of spectators who could fit in a given venue.  Technology has increased the audiences from hundreds or several thousand to billions so the performers are making money proportionally based on the number of viewers.



Yes, the question was rhetorical and my point was the irony of it all.  Front line workers are worth far more than they are paid, while actors in movies don't contribute anything near the same level of value (in my opinion, though others may well disagree with that view).  If that doesn't make sense, we each should consider that the next time we need to call a cop or call an ambulance for some immediate and crucial emergency.

What you have said holds equally for sports figures.  They are just getting a fair slice of a rather huge pie.  My whole point is simply about what our culture values, and I was hoping that would have been clear.  Next time, I will write more and spell out my point very clearly instead of insinuating it and hopping people get it.  My fault for not doing that this time.

Tony


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## tbeltrans (Sep 8, 2020)

ruffruff said:


> College sports are a big deal, but covid 19 is a far bigger deal



That really has been brought out in local news by two reports:

1. A wedding party that was held indoors without the COVID-19 social applications, resulted in over 50 cases with some hospitalizations.
2. The numbers are starting to come in for the Sturgis bike rally and it doesn't look good.

Tony


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## tbeltrans (Sep 8, 2020)

gennie said:


> Just wondering ..... can bookies claim loss of earnings compensation because of no games being played?  Will their job loss be counted in virus statistics?  Inquiring minds and all that.



There are some other vocations most folks are too embarrassed to talk about that are likewise affected.  This seems to be a gray (grey ?) area that somehow falls between the cracks.

Tony


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## AnnieA (Sep 8, 2020)

tbeltrans said:


> Yes, the question was rhetorical and my point was the irony of it all.  Front line workers are worth far more than they are paid, while actors in movies don't contribute anything near the same level of value (in my opinion, though others may well disagree with that view).  If that doesn't make sense, we each should consider that the next time we need to call a cop or call an ambulance for some immediate and crucial emergency.
> 
> What you have said holds equally for sports figures.  They are just getting a fair slice of a rather huge pie.  My whole point is simply about what our culture values, and I was hoping that would have been clear.  Next time, I will write more and spell out my point very clearly instead of insinuating it and hopping people get it.  My fault for not doing that this time.
> 
> Tony



Rhetoric ...humor as well... don't always come across well online!   It would be great if those making money off the portrayal of front-line personnel would donate a portion of their earnings to support the real-life people out doing the jobs, but humans are greedy and a lot in that group are not fans of the LEO they portray though the majority of LEO aren't like the bad apples that get the news.


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## tbeltrans (Sep 8, 2020)

AnnieA said:


> Rhetoric ...humor as well... don't always come across well online!   It would be great if those making money off the portrayal of front-line personnel would donate a portion of their earnings to support the real-life people out doing the jobs, but humans are greedy and a lot in that group are not fans of the LEO they portray though the majority of LEO aren't like the bad apples that get the news.



Exactly right!  I always seem to want to just have common conversation, but letters alone don't cut it. 

I have been involved with the internet since the mid 80s when few outside engineering and research circles knew what it was.  Since our conversations were not anything like what we had on BBS's and then later, online forums, there was never a reason to even attempt rhetoric or humor, so there were few, if any miscommunication issues.

That would be a great idea for those portraying front line personnel to help support those with the real life jobs.  The news seems to need only the extreme ends of the spectrum to get attention - the bad apples, and the eye-catching heroics.  But then, we are the consumers of the news and if the news media is to stay in business, they will need to provide what sells.  Unfortunately, we who think like this conversation are only a minority too small to dictate what sells.

Tony


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## peppermint (Sep 8, 2020)

tbeltrans said:


> There are some other vocations most folks are too embarrassed to talk about that are likewise affected.  This seems to be a gray (grey ?) area that somehow falls between the cracks.
> 
> Tony


My grandson and his fiancé couldn't have their wedding in August....They, hopefully, have their 
wedding next August...


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## tbeltrans (Sep 8, 2020)

peppermint said:


> My grandson and his fiancé couldn't have their wedding in August....They, hopefully, have their
> wedding next August...



This COVID-19 thing is really messing with people's lives.

I have to go in to the VA tomorrow morning to get tested for COVID-19 because my doctor said I have too many of the early symptoms.  My wife called because I have been sick for several days, and that is what they want me to do, so off I go.  I don't think I have it, but better safe than sorry I suppose.  Fortunately, we have been staying at home with the exception of grocery shopping every two weeks or so.

Tony


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