It seems there are an ever increasing number of teams who are pausing team activities due to positive cases and contact. Mike Kryszewski is of the opinion that college basketball cannot be played safely in the current climate because of the nature of the game and being indoors. IMO, the indoor thing is a no go and needs to be taken more into consideration. And while the mortality rate is extremely low for the age group and demographic of college basketball players, the long term affects to the lungs and heart cannot be understated. If a player gets it, they very well could have their athletic career ended as no doctor will clear them for activity with an enlarged heart or decreased lung capacity.
College Basketball-PAUSED
- Thread starter TU_BLA
- Start date
Thousands upon thousands of athletes have contracted covid at this point. How many have not been cleared to return to play due to an enlarged heart or decreased lung capacity caused by Covid? As for Coach K I couldn't help but notice his comment came less 24 hours after suffering his worst home loss in years and falling .500.
I was in favor a Spring season from the beginning. If games paused and restated in mid-January with OOC until first week of February, April madness could occur and many of us (with vaccines in arms) could actually see a game in person.
On the other hand, the hypocrisy of coach K NOW wanting a pause after a second home loss is obvious. I think he just misses the Cameron Crazies (I most certainly do not). I did have the fun of watching 3 Duke students at breakfast in San Diego (TU to play UCLA the next day) as Duke was upset by a mid-major.
On the other hand, the hypocrisy of coach K NOW wanting a pause after a second home loss is obvious. I think he just misses the Cameron Crazies (I most certainly do not). I did have the fun of watching 3 Duke students at breakfast in San Diego (TU to play UCLA the next day) as Duke was upset by a mid-major.
Players don’t have to do anything of the sort. They should be free to play or opt out and keep their ship. However, I would argue that they are probably less likely to become infected if they’re with the team and following the protocols required by most schools of their players opposed to being a regular on campus student.
Meanwhile, risk to college age athletes appears to be extraordinarily low if we are talking actual risk
I have fond memories of watching Duke lose in the first round while sitting in a Vegas sports bar with my buddy’s wife, who is a Duke alum. The very subtle humor that afternoon was quite precious. “Ohhh, that’s too bad. This is a double elimination tournament, right?”
The problem is we don't know how it is going to affect certain athletes...some can be more adversely affected than others and we just don't know who is more at risk in this seemingly healthy group. The problem is being indoors. Even football teams where the great majority of their team activity is outdoors where the risk of prolonged exposure is significantly lower, we are seeing a great number of teams with cases and quarantines due to contact tracing. Basketball is all indoors. Conditioning, team mtgs (which should all be virtual at this point), practices, etc. all of it is indoors. Not only that but the nature of basketball is there is a lot of close contact for longer than the period as noted by the CDC to take precaution. And while they may not suffer devastating symptoms or illness, people they may come into contact with may be susceptible. The problem with everyone right now is their desire to accept the risks to their personal health and well-being is the reason why it keeps spreading and they're all too willing to put others at risk.
I would be fine for the season to pause and start back up in February and have may madness instead of March. If this will cut down on the positive cases I’m all for it
Good idea. It gives universities some time to get things back under control. Most shut down to virtual only after Thanksgiving because they knew kids would travel. Most are starting later to give the time after Christmas. And I don't know where athletes are picking it up, I'm sure it's in class and on campus where regular students aren't under the same protocols as they are. And it's impossible to keep them from inter mixing in class. I'd be all for this, conference games only.
You’re acting like these 20 year old students won’t be indoors with groups of people if they weren’t playing basketball. In many cases the protocols they are required to follow to play and practice are keeping them from acting irresponsibly (like most of the student body). If they attend a party of a get together they aren’t allowed to be with the team or worse are kicked off the team. I would argue they are safer being required to adhere to these protocols opposed to being an ordinary student whose actions aren’t closely monitored.
You are correct in that we don’t know the long term effects. However, there have been thousands of athletes examined post covid with very few severe or limiting immediate effects. On that note, if we are going to take actions based on unknown long term effects then wouldn’t this rational also apply to taking an untested (as to long term effects) vaccine? Will your rational prevent a sufficient number of people from taking the vaccine and eliminating the virus by mid summer?
Plus fewer cancellationsand more predictability.
Self responsibility to oneself and individuality are ingrained into our culture. Responsibility to others outside of your family isn’t ingrained, nor is the concept of patience, and the family apart erodes every day.
Unfortunately very true.
As a practical matter though, would it not make sense to postpone the season for a few months? So many cancellations everywhere. Or are folks suggesting teams play regardless of Covid positives? If so that is nuts.
Yes to all of that. It is nuts. People chasing a few dollars. The SEC and Big 12 would play no matter what. But then the Big 10 couldn’t go a recruiting cycle without playing. And you got this mess. We’re lucky that there have been no serious complications, but them again, maybe we don’t know all the facts yet. It’s an easy year to bury truth.
I guess TU_BLA is seeing athletes falling in the streets. I am not aware of this but would like to know where he is getting his info? I guess he means he "thinks" there "might" be long term issues when there has been no evidence of it. I am glad we have experts like him!!
Covid risk to the college kid is lower than them succumbing to a heart attack or head injury playing the game. But, people love to panic and force their "woe is me/woe is you" belief into everything. BTW: I have 2 college kids - 1 is an athlete on a full ride for BB. She got covid (her entire team) and is fine. Play ball.
Covid health risks are certainly low for a typical 20 year old. But of course there is staff and all the people that 20 year old comes into contact with to take into account. It is irresponsible to play when active cases have been identified - need to follow CDC guidelines on isolation and quarantine for those who had close contact.
So that means, we can expect more and more cancellations. So - again - do everyone a favor and postpone until March. Then fans have a fighting chance to see their teams in person late in the season.
So that means, we can expect more and more cancellations. So - again - do everyone a favor and postpone until March. Then fans have a fighting chance to see their teams in person late in the season.
So do you believe a college football or basketball player who is forced to follow strict distancing protocols is more likely to contract covid and spread to third parties than if he were a regular college student doing what college students do? If we’re going to make the argument to postpone until March (which I’m not against) don’t we need to also not have kids on these campuses?
Love the argument of " What about grandma" of "what about the staff". The answer is that grandma can stay home and the staff is getting paid so they need to do their job. Millions of people go to work so coaching and support staff is no different. They can certainly resign if they feel threatened. Not a hard concept.
These are typically petulant posters saying petulant things. If you are on the same side as red dirt and Zit, you need to reconsider some things. Then again, one of these posters is also an Oklahoma State fan.
People just have different opinions, just like most things. I dont think anything will be different in March. So you might as well just cancel the season. Yeah, there will be a vaccine, but I for one wouldn't want to be one of the first people taking it. And even if you do postpone things, all that's going to do is increase the cases in the players. Everyone thinks college students are just going to stay at home all day studying? Ok then. This will be their chance to go out to parties, and that's exactly what they'll be doing
Let me summarize.
1. If you have positive cases, you have to follow CDC guidelines on isolation and quarantine. This applies to the general student population too.
2. Inevitably this means increased cancellations.
3. There is no guarantee March will be better but it realistically could be a little better.
4. A March start would provide a fighting chance for some spectators near season end.
That is it. Step by step.
If this does not work I need to go back to limiting my posts to the Alley.
1. If you have positive cases, you have to follow CDC guidelines on isolation and quarantine. This applies to the general student population too.
2. Inevitably this means increased cancellations.
3. There is no guarantee March will be better but it realistically could be a little better.
4. A March start would provide a fighting chance for some spectators near season end.
That is it. Step by step.
If this does not work I need to go back to limiting my posts to the Alley.
I’m in the high risk group, over 65 with underlying conditions, but I’m not old enough to be in a priority group. With the number of doses they are talking about having, and I’m talking about the two shot Pfizer, I don’t expect to receive the vaccine until June or later. I would think young athletes would be lower on the priority totem pole than me. Now that might change when and if the single shot Moderna vaccine gets approved.
I’ve been keeping an eye on the news and researching the vaccines because due to my medical condition I can’t take some vaccines such as the flu vaccine. I think I’ll be good to go with the covid vaccine but I’m going to talk to my doctor about it this month to be sure. Right now I don’t think the initial shipments of vaccine will be enough for medical staff and priority one old people. The next shipments will go to essential workers then they will get to people like me.
I am 55 but in a high risk group due to a health condition. There are other vaccines in the pipeline and also the AstraZenica vaccine from the UK. So a lot can change between now and March. Hard to know how it will evolve but I would bet there is, at a minimum, some improvement in infection rates over time as both (1) people get vaccinated, and, unfortunately as (2) more people acquire temporary immunity from getting sick and recovering. So if they wait it out, I would lay a bet more games will be able to move ahead once we move into q2 of next year. I am very much an optimist though - freely admit it.
But I also have no problem with them playing games now without fans if that is what the coaches and players and officials want to do, as long as they follow CDC guidelines when positives are identified. Just think we will see more and more cancellations over the next two or three months. I worry more for the coaches and officials than the players, frankly.
But I also have no problem with them playing games now without fans if that is what the coaches and players and officials want to do, as long as they follow CDC guidelines when positives are identified. Just think we will see more and more cancellations over the next two or three months. I worry more for the coaches and officials than the players, frankly.
Nevada here is another angle to consider. With the current vaccines they are targeting vaccinations of 100 million Americans by end of February. There are only around 200 million adults in the US. There has to be a material effect on illness, particularly if you add the 30 million people who would have recovered.
That is my glass half full prediction. Fewer games cancelled if they wait.
That is my glass half full prediction. Fewer games cancelled if they wait.
i hope they meet their goal but when you read about doses shipped remember that you have to cut that in half when talking about people vaccinated because of the two shot requirement. For instance Nevada is supposed to get an initial shipment of 3600 doses. That’s only enough to fully vaccinate 1800 people and that’s a drop on the bucket with our population of 3 million. When future shipments will occur and how big they will be is unknown at this moment. California’s first shipment will be 329,000 doses for a state with 39.5 million people which is less than 1% of the doses needed to give everyone a single shot much less the two needed.
We’re also competing with the rest of the world for these vaccines. There was a recent news story where the administration passed on buying extra Pfizer doses this summer not knowing who would be approved and who wouldn’t and those doses were bought by other countries like futures contracts.
I’m all about being an optimist when it comes to TU sports but when it comes to life I’m the ultimate realist. One of my old bosses said I was too negative when he announced a big project and I started asking questions about what we would do if this went wrong or that was late as I tried to think of what could cause us issues. In the end I wasn’t pessimistic enough.
We’re also competing with the rest of the world for these vaccines. There was a recent news story where the administration passed on buying extra Pfizer doses this summer not knowing who would be approved and who wouldn’t and those doses were bought by other countries like futures contracts.
I’m all about being an optimist when it comes to TU sports but when it comes to life I’m the ultimate realist. One of my old bosses said I was too negative when he announced a big project and I started asking questions about what we would do if this went wrong or that was late as I tried to think of what could cause us issues. In the end I wasn’t pessimistic enough.
My granddaughter has been playing again basketball this summer and fall. Now varsity highschool without any problems so far.
Gold, I win... almost always.
My side is strong!
And, if the Zombies come after us... you can come to my side --- but you will have to be my personal errand boy.
