Happy Monday, everyone. A crazy weekend that college football in balance hung behind us, and all we have left is to watch and wait. According to Pete Thamel, the Big Ten is still in the process of canceling the season.
Sentiment at the presidential level remains with a strong majority to quit. The question that still remains is what leagues can end up in when they become public.
– Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 10, 2020
The last issue that worries among university presidents is myocarditis triggered by viral infection. This, of course, applies to every athlete, and minimally requires additional screening and potentially added recovery time. This virus sucks, and it can affect any of us. However, the problem is whether football significantly increases the risk of a player infection, given the fact that players are consistently tested.
Just talk to my dad, who’s a research scientist and doctor studying CoVid. He believes that student athletes can be safer if they stay with their teams bc, they are closely monitored and have more motivation to isolate and prevent social situations. @Trevorlawrencee agrees: https://t.co/M3vF7nMQdg
– Molly McGrath (@MollyAMcGrath) August 9, 2020
Her father, Michael, also happens to be a heart surgeon. Dr. Matt Rhea also had something to say about the problem.
Now all of a sudden myocarditis is an “unknown” possibility? I deleted it in a paper I published in 2009 about sudden cardiac death in athletes. It happens after most infections. We stop all the time for warning signs. Screening now is very good. Nothing new here.
– Matt Rhea, PhD (@MattRheaPhD) August 9, 2020
In any case, the Big Ten hopes to win consensus from the other power five commissioners before the plug is pulled, but it does not look like the SEC will be ready just yet.
The SEC is not on track to cancel its fall football season, according to conversations with sources throughout the conference in the wake of reports the Big Ten was about to do so. The conference, which unveiled its timeline on Friday, avoids a wait-and-see approach.
The SEC deliberately postponed its fall camp start back to Aug. 17 and season opener to Sept. 26 to check how the other sports, including the NBA and MLB, were dealing with playing games amid the COVID-19 pandemic. That has not changed. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey has done a good job of encouraging the league’s 14 presidents and chancellors to keep the line and be patient, according to sources.
At this point, it seems unlikely that the season will be played in the fall. However, the players make a concerted effort. Alabama RB Najee Harris joined a whirlwind movement to unite players across the country in an effort to save the season safely, while also founding a gaming association.
Football players from all over the country united on Sunday in an attempt to save their season and ensure that they are no longer left with the biggest decisions of the sport.
Lawrence, Ohio quarterback Justin Fields, Oklahoma State All-America returns Chuba Hubbard, Alabama, and Najee Harris and several other Florida State to Oregon players run a social media chart featuring #WeWantToPlay and #WeAreUnited.
“We came to the conclusion, We Want to Play, their message might have been conveyed differently, but at the end of the day, the message was not too far from what Big Ten United wanted to promote,” Reynolds said. ‘What do we all want to sport this fall? Every athlete, I’m pretty sure, wants to play their sports. They just want to do it safely. ”
The good news is that the players have dropped the stupid income of Pac 12 group and focused on player safety. The coronavirus has zero chance of permanently killing college football, but a union of players demanding that kind of compensation. It remains to be seen what effect this move will have on the decision-making of the presidents, if any. Matt Hayes reported that an AD said union talks served as an impetus for stopping the season, even moreso then the virus, and even warned that it could crumble the entire system.
I do not know the correct answer here, but killing the sport would not help anyone, would it? Can’t even blame the players for standing up for themselves, but that’s a concern.
Not much else happens, so that’s for today. Hope for the best and have a great week.
Tide roll.
