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College Football in 2020 in danger?


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12 hours ago, Bartles said:

I have no idea what a university president's workflow is like, but I find it hard to believe they authorized: opening of facilities, hundreds of student-athletes brought back to campus to begin practice (helmet or no), and most importantly the release of full season football schedules which would activate their 8-figure TV contracts if played. Only to turn around days later and say, nah it's too dangerous.

Solid take, perhaps they're prepping us for flag football?

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Ok, I just had to get rid of the fucking phone picture, rookie.

Seems it came out Monday off this thread from a Michigan booster

Going full bore bullshit on this one.   But, I am still confident this is the beginning of the end of the NCAA as we know it.  Five conferences average over $100m in revenue per year, the rest average $22m, and that's including the AAC's $66m.   If you split up like that though, and had 5ish entities, why would you need 5 entities any longer?

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13 hours ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

Once the plug is pulled on football for the year, and quite a few of us are going to do other, more productive things to pass the time on Saturdays this fall....some of us will question just how much football we will invest our time with in subsequent years.

Having a suck ass season with a team you are emotionally invested with and sort of paying attention to (but don't mind missing a game to go carpet shopping or whatnot) is one thing; having no football to waste some time with is quite another.  And there's some that might look back at this lost season and think "I really didn't miss it at all".

We are different people, you and I.

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16 hours ago, WhatTheBuck said:

Yeah, I debated whether to use football or soccer. Decided to use soccer because I'm writing for a mostly American audience. Figured I was likely to get a snarky comment either way. 

Soccer is actually a British term widely used from the late 1800s through the 1970s

it differentiated Rugby Football (Rugger) from Association Football (Soccer)

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1 hour ago, nnm said:

Can’t embed the whole thread, but interesting, and more fuel to the fire that this is a fundamental restructuring of college athletics. Take all this with a boulder of salt—Deace is an ultra-right winger. 

The NFL needs college football or some sort of minor league football system in order to survive. If university presidents would rather cancel the season than negotiate with their players then you're going to force the destruction of programs across the country. I don't really buy into this line of thinking that players don't have power. We all saw that UT was willing to sit down with players over the school song and renaming buildings. But the university can't force these athletes to play. Yes their alternative is to withdraw from the university and find somewhere else to play but if the beef is with the NCAA then where do they go? NFL has more money and leverage than public universities. All they have to do is threaten a G league type system and universities will have no choice but to comply with demands. 

We're talking about tens of millions of dollars on the line. Money that won't be going to universities anymore. Maybe this will also help pop the college tuition bubble while we're at it.... 

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6 hours ago, LTbear said:

We are different people, you and I.

I'm not suggesting that I may re-think my Saturdays going forward if there is no football, but there will be folks who do. Others have suggested as much.  

This is a college football message board, so my opinion is easily dismissed.  I do get that, but looking at the big picture here---there are lots of people who are fans of college football, but they aren't fans.  

 

 

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7 hours ago, Tex Pete said:

Probably, but there’s so much money involved and a lot of programs can’t make it without that revenue. Some really stupid decisions will be made. 

Otter:  I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part.

Bluto: And we're just the guys to do it.

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You take what that high school kid down in Georgia posted of the packed school hallway.  Then have college athletes start doing something similar within their athletic organizations across all schools.  No social distancing, unequal or lack of onsite testing, and the new argument:  "the normal college student is being told to attend classes from home, but you're making us show up to practice and risk our health."  The kids have already discovered they have a shitload of power with their phones and Twitter.  

The next wave of Chad & Karens will be "but we gots to have our footbawl! 

Shit's about to fall apart brothers and sisters...

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1 hour ago, CooterBrown said:

If a missed season or a World Series causes you to give up on a sport, you’ve already given it up and just haven’t admitted it yet.

I gave up on the NFL when that Arkansaws asshole jacked over Tom Landry. I don’t GAF about whatthose overpaid primadonnas and their greedy owners do. Same for MLB. 

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2 hours ago, nnm said:

Can’t embed the whole thread, but interesting, and more fuel to the fire that this is a fundamental restructuring of college athletics. Take all this with a boulder of salt—Deace is an ultra-right winger. 

I'm pretty sure there's some truth to this.

I had a conversation with a friend recently and pointed out that if students aren't allowed in classrooms, but athletes are expected to play, then we can drop the whole "student-athlete" charade.  It becomes even more problematic for the schools if football players are expected to play while all the non-revenue sports are canceled.  This conversation was already heating up, but Covid has really given the players (and some opportunistic lawyers) a lot of ammo.

And I say good for them.  They're the commodity in a multi-billion dollar industry and they ought to get more than a free dorm room and half a degree out of it.

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https://www.si.com/college/2020/08/09/ncaa-cardiac-inflamation-coronavirus-myocarditis-concerns

 

Quote

Dr. Matthew Martinez has studied so many images of a beating heart that he couldn’t possibly count them. Maybe 500,000. Maybe 1 million. As a non-invasive cardiologist, his job revolves around the constant evaluation of pictures of the heart. 

He knows what a strong, healthy heart looks like. He knows what a poor, struggling heart looks like. And he knows what a heart looks like after COVID-19’s tentacles have reached the most vital organ in the human body. “This virus,” he says, “seems to have an affinity for causing damage to the heart.”

 

Quote

In a small percentage of infected patients, COVID-19 leaves behind troubling scars in the throbbing muscle within their chests, known as myocarditis. The virus directly invades the heart muscle, weakening and damaging its cells, through blood clots and inflammatory responses to viral infection. Earlier during the pandemic, doctors only associated the condition with severe and, oftentimes, hospitalized COVID victims, usually elderly patients or those with underlying health problems. 

Lately, physicians are identifying the condition in young, healthy Americans — including athletes. “The last month or two, even asymptomatic young people are developing myocardial injury,” Martinez says.

 

 

Quote

Of all the hurdles impeding a 2020 college football season, there is one roadblock that has gone mostly overshadowed, buried beneath the other more prominent obstacles, such as testing, travel, a bubble-less college campus and quarantine requirements. That hurdle? The heart.

“That’s what has been the final straw,” says a team doctor at a prominent college football program. “The commissioners are finally figuring it all out. The commissioners are going, ‘Oh my gosh!’ And the doctors are like, ‘Yeah...’”

 

Spoiler

University leaders and conference executives are grappling with new information from the medical world about the virus’ after effects on its victims, exacerbating an already difficult conundrum: risk it and play a fall season, or sit out and watch an industry potentially crumble? Revelations from physicians like Martinez have deepened the debate.

In fact, the brewing heart issue was a topic on a recent call among Power 5 conference commissioners. Fear over myocarditis has reached the top level of the sport, with Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby and Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren having both privately expressed serious concern over the condition. One Power 5 team doctor, who is privy to conference commissioner calls, says the heart condition is a primary topic during discussions. “We discuss it on every call,” the doctor says under the condition of anonymity. 

The issue reared its head Saturday in what was, to this point, the most significant college football news of the shutdown: The Mid-American Conference became the first FBS league to cancel its fall season. The MAC’s medical advisory board unanimously advised conference leaders to suspend the season. And while financial implications were a factor too (MAC schools, on a normal year, lose money on football), the long term and somewhat unknown health impacts of COVID-19 victims — including myocarditis — was an essential discussion point.

“That’s what people aren’t getting,” says a high-ranking MAC administrator with knowledge of the presidents’ call Saturday. “It’s pulmonary, cardiac issues.”

Physicians themselves are still learning about a novel virus and its post-recovery impacts on the human body. Myocarditis is one of many after effects, but for athletes, it is the most serious, says Martinez, the medical director of sports cardiology at Atlantic Health System in New Jersey. Martinez knows a thing or two about athletes’ hearts. He’s the league cardiologist for Major League Soccer, is the cardiac-specific consultant for the NBA and on the medical committee for the NFL.

He acknowledges that the cases in athletes with COVID-related heart impacts are very small. Among professional, college and youth league athletes, he’s seen no more than a dozen in the US. However, there are likely many more. Some go undetected or have not been brought to his attention. Doctors aren’t exactly sure how common the condition is. Some have publicly stated that recovered COVID-19 patients have shown as much as a 50% impact on their heart, but with striking degrees in severity.

A recent German study released in July revealed heart inflammation in 60 of 100 recovered virus patients. That number included patients who were asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic. 

A college team doctor told Sports Illustrated on Saturday that he’s aware of roughly 10 COVID-related heart impacts in all of college football, many or all of them from mildly symptomatic players. While the number is a fraction of the total population, the potential consequences of heart injury are grievous. Myocarditis symptoms include chest pain, abnormal heartbeat, shortness of breath and, in the most serious case, sudden death. Already, myocarditis represents roughly 2-5% of all sudden death cases in American sports.

While many COVID-related myocarditis cases in athletes remain private, some have emerged publicly. Left-handed pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez, projected as the Red Sox No. 1 pitcher this year, developed myocarditis after contracting COVID-19. He will miss the 2020 season. The mother of an Indiana offensive lineman suggested in a Facebook post earlier this week that her son may have heart complications as an after effect of the virus. 

At least one college football player has developed an enlarged heart after contracting COVID-19, a team trainer told SI under the condition of anonymity. The recovery time for such heart damage is a minimum of three months of no activity, says Martinez. 

Martinez says he has heard from virtually every major college football conference this summer regarding the heart issue. Some of them are forging ahead, he says, with a plan to “pivot” if things go awry. “Others have said, ‘I think we oughta stop,’” says Martinez. “The MAC did that today.”

His advice to conference officials has been to make cardiac screenings mandatory for those who have contracted the virus. It’s why the most recent conference medical plans include cardiac screenings under the return-to-play protocol.

Martinez is recommending a three-level screening for all COVID-19 positives to return to activity: an EKG, an echocardiogram and a troponin blood test, which measures the level of cardiac-specific troponin in the blood to help detect heart injury. Each blood test and EKG can roughly cost about $50, Martinez says. The more intrusive echocardiogram can run as high as $500 per test. “It can be done. You can play football,” he says, “but resources must be utilized.”

The disparity in college athletics is great. In FBS alone, there is a large monetary gap between the Power 5 conference programs and the Group of 5 teams. The gap grows wider from the Group of 5 to FCS and from Division II to Division III. Few if any FCS, D2 and D3 programs are expected to play football this fall. Many of them don’t have the funding to meet NCAA requirements for in-season testing, quarantining and contact tracing.

Saturday was a bleak day also for the top division in the NCAA. After the MAC canceled its season, the Big Ten paused its preseason practice. And on Friday, there was this from the NCAA’s chief medical expert, Brian Hainline: “Almost everything would have to be perfectly aligned to continue moving forward.”

Add another obstacle to the list: the heart.

 

 

Edited by Francisco 2.0
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4 minutes ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

https://www.si.com/college/2020/08/09/ncaa-cardiac-inflamation-coronavirus-myocarditis-concerns

 

 

 

 

 

  Hide contents

University leaders and conference executives are grappling with new information from the medical world about the virus’ after effects on its victims, exacerbating an already difficult conundrum: risk it and play a fall season, or sit out and watch an industry potentially crumble? Revelations from physicians like Martinez have deepened the debate.

In fact, the brewing heart issue was a topic on a recent call among Power 5 conference commissioners. Fear over myocarditis has reached the top level of the sport, with Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby and Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren having both privately expressed serious concern over the condition. One Power 5 team doctor, who is privy to conference commissioner calls, says the heart condition is a primary topic during discussions. “We discuss it on every call,” the doctor says under the condition of anonymity. 

The issue reared its head Saturday in what was, to this point, the most significant college football news of the shutdown: The Mid-American Conference became the first FBS league to cancel its fall season. The MAC’s medical advisory board unanimously advised conference leaders to suspend the season. And while financial implications were a factor too (MAC schools, on a normal year, lose money on football), the long term and somewhat unknown health impacts of COVID-19 victims — including myocarditis — was an essential discussion point.

“That’s what people aren’t getting,” says a high-ranking MAC administrator with knowledge of the presidents’ call Saturday. “It’s pulmonary, cardiac issues.”

Physicians themselves are still learning about a novel virus and its post-recovery impacts on the human body. Myocarditis is one of many after effects, but for athletes, it is the most serious, says Martinez, the medical director of sports cardiology at Atlantic Health System in New Jersey. Martinez knows a thing or two about athletes’ hearts. He’s the league cardiologist for Major League Soccer, is the cardiac-specific consultant for the NBA and on the medical committee for the NFL.

He acknowledges that the cases in athletes with COVID-related heart impacts are very small. Among professional, college and youth league athletes, he’s seen no more than a dozen in the US. However, there are likely many more. Some go undetected or have not been brought to his attention. Doctors aren’t exactly sure how common the condition is. Some have publicly stated that recovered COVID-19 patients have shown as much as a 50% impact on their heart, but with striking degrees in severity.

A recent German study released in July revealed heart inflammation in 60 of 100 recovered virus patients. That number included patients who were asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic. 

A college team doctor told Sports Illustrated on Saturday that he’s aware of roughly 10 COVID-related heart impacts in all of college football, many or all of them from mildly symptomatic players. While the number is a fraction of the total population, the potential consequences of heart injury are grievous. Myocarditis symptoms include chest pain, abnormal heartbeat, shortness of breath and, in the most serious case, sudden death. Already, myocarditis represents roughly 2-5% of all sudden death cases in American sports.

While many COVID-related myocarditis cases in athletes remain private, some have emerged publicly. Left-handed pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez, projected as the Red Sox No. 1 pitcher this year, developed myocarditis after contracting COVID-19. He will miss the 2020 season. The mother of an Indiana offensive lineman suggested in a Facebook post earlier this week that her son may have heart complications as an after effect of the virus. 

At least one college football player has developed an enlarged heart after contracting COVID-19, a team trainer told SI under the condition of anonymity. The recovery time for such heart damage is a minimum of three months of no activity, says Martinez. 

Martinez says he has heard from virtually every major college football conference this summer regarding the heart issue. Some of them are forging ahead, he says, with a plan to “pivot” if things go awry. “Others have said, ‘I think we oughta stop,’” says Martinez. “The MAC did that today.”

His advice to conference officials has been to make cardiac screenings mandatory for those who have contracted the virus. It’s why the most recent conference medical plans include cardiac screenings under the return-to-play protocol.

Martinez is recommending a three-level screening for all COVID-19 positives to return to activity: an EKG, an echocardiogram and a troponin blood test, which measures the level of cardiac-specific troponin in the blood to help detect heart injury. Each blood test and EKG can roughly cost about $50, Martinez says. The more intrusive echocardiogram can run as high as $500 per test. “It can be done. You can play football,” he says, “but resources must be utilized.”

The disparity in college athletics is great. In FBS alone, there is a large monetary gap between the Power 5 conference programs and the Group of 5 teams. The gap grows wider from the Group of 5 to FCS and from Division II to Division III. Few if any FCS, D2 and D3 programs are expected to play football this fall. Many of them don’t have the funding to meet NCAA requirements for in-season testing, quarantining and contact tracing.

Saturday was a bleak day also for the top division in the NCAA. After the MAC canceled its season, the Big Ten paused its preseason practice. And on Friday, there was this from the NCAA’s chief medical expert, Brian Hainline: “Almost everything would have to be perfectly aligned to continue moving forward.”

Add another obstacle to the list: the heart.

 

 

Queue the “they’ll be safer in a football program than they would be at home” crowd. 

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7 minutes ago, horngasm2020 said:

lol you fat bald boomers are still bargaining internally "just move to spring."

hahahah. It is pathetic how important a game is to some people. spring isn't happening either.

Don’t care either way. This past decade has inoculated me from caring much about any college sports.

I never watch the Horns away games on TV for that matter.

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15 minutes ago, horngasm2020 said:

lol you fat bald boomers are still bargaining internally "just move to spring."

hahahah. It is pathetic how important a game is to some people. spring isn't happening either.

I wouldn't care if we got to watch just the utep game and one more. Just give me a couple of glimpses of Texas football.. 

 

So fuck off you skinny jeaned pussy millennial.. I want my Football. 

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I know I've been giving more sunny perspectives about CFB than most, although personally I never gave it even a 50 percent chance of happening in fall. I admit I was up to like 40 percent when teams were practicing last week. But I'm below 20 percent after reading the OU news below. Riley has been a leader on the virus front all year, and for them to just quietly announce practice is paused, Mo State game is pushed back into September despite only one positive out of 205 tests recently...notice the nod to "conversations across the country."

Quote

University of Oklahoma head football coach Lincoln Riley announced Saturday evening that he is pausing preseason training camp for a week due to a change in OU's 2020 game schedule.

Riley, whose team began training camp July 31 and held its fifth practice today, said his players will be able to go home tomorrow for several days.

The Sooners were scheduled to open their season Aug. 29 against Missouri State, but Riley said the opener would now be sometime in September.

Added Riley, "We're also mindful of all the conversations across the country with regard to the 2020 season. The added benefit of temporarily breaking from training camp is that it gives us a few more days to monitor those talks."

OU players are scheduled to return to campus and undergo COVID-19 testing protocol on Friday, Aug. 14 before resuming preseason practice.

The Sooners underwent two rounds of COVID-19 testing this past week. The 205 combined player tests produced one positive result. That player is under quarantine.

 

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27 minutes ago, horngasm2020 said:

lol you fat bald boomers are still bargaining internally "just move to spring."

hahahah. It is pathetic how important a game is to some people. spring isn't happening either.

It’s going to be tough for you, but don’t be a douche. 

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17 minutes ago, Bartles said:

I know I've been giving more sunny perspectives about CFB than most, although personally I never gave it even a 50 percent chance of happening in fall. I admit I was up to like 40 percent when teams were practicing last week. But I'm below 20 percent after reading the OU news below. Riley has been a leader on the virus front all year, and for them to just quietly announce practice is paused, Mo State game is pushed back into September despite only one positive out of 205 tests recently...notice the nod to "conversations across the country."

 

You fell for it.  Riley just got his team a lot of extra practice no one else was getting lol.

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6 hours ago, nnm said:

Can’t embed the whole thread, but interesting, and more fuel to the fire that this is a fundamental restructuring of college athletics. Take all this with a boulder of salt—Deace is an ultra-right winger. 

The only problem is that the juniors and seniors who have some pull, are more concerned about positioning themselves for the NFL draft.  And if the universities tell them to go pound sand, what are they going to do?  Go to a lesser school, where the stage is not as big, and their chances of standing out for the NFL are diminished?

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4 hours ago, HRSchenker said:

NFL has more money and leverage than public universities. All they have to do is threaten a G league type system and universities will have no choice but to comply with demands. 

If the NFL could create a type of G League that was financially viable, they would have already had it up and running, because unlike college sports, they would control the financials/advertising/schedules/etc.  Team owners would love to be able to take star athletes right out of high school and develop them for their teams through a minor league.

The problem is that the NFL has tried going down that road before, and failed.  And we've also seen developmental-level leagues crash and burn with non-NFL money.     Hell, the NBA has a developmental league and nobody gives a shit, even though the games play faster and wrap up quicker than a minor-league football game would.  Most of Austin could not tell you what the name of Austin's team is, or where they place.  Hell, most of Austin probably doesn't even realize it.

College football works, because no matter how shitty a team like aggy is, there will be enough fans showing up or tuning in on Saturday to make the infrastructure viable.  Nobody wants to watch an NFL  G league team that shares a stadium with Greendale Community College, and it would be a money suck for the NFL.

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