The coronavirus is destroying everything

[kendancy66]

This thread hasn't mentioned tennis since April. How are things going in tennis? It's actually safe to play during a pandemic.

They were supposed to resume play with the tournament in DC, but it was cancelled. US Open still scheduled for September.

So they are going to have US Open for golf and tennis at the same time?  Will see if that confuses anyone

[hbelkins]

Here is one attempt at an explanation:

https://www.kentucky.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/mark-story/article244634522.html#wgt=trending

Basically, teams can opt out of non-conference games without financial penalties if their conferences impose scheduling restrictions. This is probably done in case conferences want to add an in-conference game to the schedule at the expense of one of the "guarantee" games, but it's being put to use this year for other reasons.

[Eth]

The SEC's decision to play only 10 conference games, and no non-conference games, borders on the insane.

It's safer somehow for UK to add Alabama or LSU to the schedule, at a time when the governor is urging Kentuckians not to travel to those states, than it is for a team in Lexington to play a team from Louisville just 75 miles west on I-64 and within the same state?

Same goes for South Carolina-Clemson. Taking away an in-state rivalry and adding games with teams from possible far-flung states? Wouldn't it make more sense for SC and Clemson to play than having SC possibly play Texas A&M?

Utterly bonkers. Georgia apparently can't take a 1-hour bus ride to Atlanta, but they can go to Missouri or Arkansas or wherever. Meanwhile Tech will now instead have to bring in someone from God knows where (very likely Ground Zero, a.k.a. Orlando, since UCF was already on the schedule for this year).

I'd say it's all academic (no pun intended) because nobody's actually going to play this year, but I know college football well enough to know that they'll absolutely try to get something in no matter how ill-advised.

[SSOWorld]

MLB is trying to resist the cancellation of the season (both the Marlins and the Cardinals are coming up with players testing positive) and the commish is not happy).  The NFL is taking the same strategy but it is not going to work given the conditions MLB is suffering as will NCAA sanctioned events.  We are clearly still in a pandemic that is not going away because no one is taking action in certain states (call it what you will), which mean it is quite likely that MLB and NFL will be called off and NCAA will have to call off all fall sports.  (Disclaimer - I'm not an expert in battling pandemics in sports)

[Scott5114]

The SEC's decision to play only 10 conference games, and no non-conference games, borders on the insane.

It's safer somehow for UK to add Alabama or LSU to the schedule, at a time when the governor is urging Kentuckians not to travel to those states, than it is for a team in Lexington to play a team from Louisville just 75 miles west on I-64 and within the same state?

It'$ almo$t a$ if they're thinking about $omething other than $afety...

[ilpt4u]

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2020-08-02/pac-12-football-players-release-list-of-demands-to-avoid-boycott

In other news, a group of Pac 12 Football players are threatening a boycott of practice and games

Sounds like the demands involve health/safety regarding COVID including prohibitions on liability waivers to practice and play, maintaining the non-revenue sports, revenue sharing to players, and increased scholarship length up to 6 years

[SSOWorld]

The SEC's decision to play only 10 conference games, and no non-conference games, borders on the insane.

It's safer somehow for UK to add Alabama or LSU to the schedule, at a time when the governor is urging Kentuckians not to travel to those states, than it is for a team in Lexington to play a team from Louisville just 75 miles west on I-64 and within the same state?

It'$ almo$t a$ if they're thinking about $omething other than $afety...

$imilar to the i$$ue$ that plague the NFL and MLB and their effort$ to re$ume or $tart.

[Takumi]

The SEC's decision to play only 10 conference games, and no non-conference games, borders on the insane.

It's safer somehow for UK to add Alabama or LSU to the schedule, at a time when the governor is urging Kentuckians not to travel to those states, than it is for a team in Lexington to play a team from Louisville just 75 miles west on I-64 and within the same state?

It'$ almo$t a$ if they're thinking about $omething other than $afety...

$imilar to the i$$ue$ that plague the NFL and MLB and their effort$ to re$ume or $tart.

$eriou$ly $hocking.

[SEWIGuy]

https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football-season-facing-long-odds-you-can-feel-the-tidal-wave-coming-163008561.html

As problems mount, college football's outlook appears grim: 'You can feel the tidal wave coming'

"It's too early to declare the 2020 football season over. But the path to cancellation appears more obvious than the path to any type of functional and recognizable season. The beginning of the end is upon us, getting closer as the drumbeat of the news cycle grows louder and louder."

[debragga]

Meanwhile, the Sun Belt conference is still planning to have 12-game schedules with non-conference games: https://saturdaytradition.com/big-ten-football/report-one-group-of-five-conference-trudging-forward-with-12-game-football-schedule/

Edit: And so is the AAC: https://twitter.com/tCFBCountry/status/1291018730693173249

[TheHighwayMan3561]

On the flip side, the MAC has thrown in the towel on fall football. They may try spring but that's not a guarantee.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/mac/2020/08/08/mac-cancels-football-season-first-fbs-conference-financial-covid-19/3326228001/

[Max Rockatansky]

On the flip side, the MAC has thrown in the towel on fall football. They may try spring but that's not a guarantee.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/mac/2020/08/08/mac-cancels-football-season-first-fbs-conference-financial-covid-19/3326228001/

It won't be news until a power conference decides to call it quits.

[SSOWorld]

On the flip side, the MAC has thrown in the towel on fall football. They may try spring but that's not a guarantee.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/mac/2020/08/08/mac-cancels-football-season-first-fbs-conference-financial-covid-19/3326228001/

It won't be news until a power conference decides to call it quits.

Not happening since they depend on football for their livelihood.

[ilpt4u]

It won't be news until a power conference decides to call it quits.

Not happening since they depend on football for their livelihood.

It will happen, when the attorneys for these schools and states note that the programs and schools and states (for public universities) cannot afford the potential liabilities

I highly doubt the Power 5 schools end up playing footbal this fall, but I've been wrong before and I'll be wrong again

[Max Rockatansky]

It won't be news until a power conference decides to call it quits.

Not happening since they depend on football for their livelihood.

It will happen, when the attorneys for these schools and states note that the programs and schools and states (for public universities) cannot afford the potential liabilities

I highly doubt the Power 5 schools end up playing footbal this fall, but I've been wrong before and I'll be wrong again

I would argue the liabilities in terms of cost are heavily outweighed by the costs of not having sports at all.  Wasn't the University of Wisconsin projecting a loss of over $100,000,000 dollars if they didn't play football at all?  With that much money on the line it's hard to envision that there is enough force of will to shut down things completely as long as the Power Five conferences want to have a season. 

[ilpt4u]

It won't be news until a power conference decides to call it quits.

Not happening since they depend on football for their livelihood.

It will happen, when the attorneys for these schools and states note that the programs and schools and states (for public universities) cannot afford the potential liabilities

I highly doubt the Power 5 schools end up playing footbal this fall, but I've been wrong before and I'll be wrong again

I would argue the liabilities in terms of cost are heavily outweighed by the costs of not having sports at all.  Wasn't the University of Wisconsin projecting a loss of over $100,000,000 dollars if they didn't play football at all?  With that much money on the line it's hard to envision that there is enough force of will to shut down things completely as long as the Power Five conferences want to have a season.

Do you really want Wrongful Death or even Negligence complaints filed by Players? Especially in the present enviornment, of potentially evolving into the Players actually able to be Compensated and abandoning this whole "Student-"Athlete farce?

Attorneys would have a field day, getting on-the-record that the Revenue Sports Players are needed to fund the Universities, but those same Athletes don't deserve any more compensation than Tuition+Room/Board AND that those Players do not even own their own Likeness and Talents! And they are needed to fund the Universities, even at the cost of their own health and potentially greater Public Health, during a pandemic? They must be pretty valuable, then...

Those are the kinds of lawsuits that break the whole thing. I don't think any P5 school wants to answer those kinds of question, Under Oath, because it will cost A LOT more than missing one season of TV revenue

I don't think the P5 plays this fall

Apparently, some P5 ADs are also figuring out that football cannot be played this fall: https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/power-five-ads-inevitable-2020-college-football-season-will-not-be-played-this-fall/?ftag=SPM-16-10abi8e

[Max Rockatansky]

It won't be news until a power conference decides to call it quits.

Not happening since they depend on football for their livelihood.

It will happen, when the attorneys for these schools and states note that the programs and schools and states (for public universities) cannot afford the potential liabilities

I highly doubt the Power 5 schools end up playing footbal this fall, but I've been wrong before and I'll be wrong again

I would argue the liabilities in terms of cost are heavily outweighed by the costs of not having sports at all.  Wasn't the University of Wisconsin projecting a loss of over $100,000,000 dollars if they didn't play football at all?  With that much money on the line it's hard to envision that there is enough force of will to shut down things completely as long as the Power Five conferences want to have a season.

Do you really want Wrongful Death or even Negligence complaints filed by Players? Especially in the present enviornment, of potentially evolving into the Players actually able to be Compensated and abandoning this whole "Student-"Athlete farce?

Attorneys would have a field day, getting on-the-record that the Revenue Sports Players are needed to fund the Universities, but those same Athletes don't deserve any more compensation than Tuition+Room/Board AND that those Players do not even own their own Likeness and Talents! And they are needed to fund the Universities, even at the cost of their own health and potentially greater Public Health, during a pandemic? They must be pretty valuable, then...

Those are the kinds of lawsuits that break the whole thing. I don't think any P5 school wants to answer those kinds of question, Under Oath, because it will cost A LOT more than missing one season of TV revenue

I don't think the P5 plays this fall

Apparently, some P5 ADs are also figuring out that football cannot be played this fall: https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/power-five-ads-inevitable-2020-college-football-season-will-not-be-played-this-fall/?ftag=SPM-16-10abi8e

I guess the litmus test is do schools think the impact of a potential fatality/s outweighs the potential financial risk of not playing?  The MAC seemingly has given their answer whereas the Power 5 conferences at present moment are leaning the other way.  Really there is a good scenario either way for college ball.  The whole system faces financial ruin if the big schools don't play but if they don't there is the possibility for potential liability.  I tend to think the big conferences will end up playing at the end of the day given how much more stands to be lost.  That's largely why I don't think that there is any chance the MLB or NFL will ultimately cancel their seasons, the risk of how much they stand to lose financially is too much not to move forward. 

[hbelkins]

What liabilities? Hasn't the NCAA already said that any player that doesn't want to participate out of fear of getting sick won't lose his his or her scholarship? Why would there be any more liability for getting sick from a virus as opposed to suffering a catastrophic injury on the field? I'm guessing any terms of participating in team sports would require a strict waiver of liability on the part of the school.

The biggest reason the MAC is canceling is probably because of the lack of guaranteed revenue they'll lose as big conferences go to in-conference only schedules. There's no way they can play a spring football season if they don't have SEC or B1G teams available to play to bring in revenue.

[US 89]

Big Ten just cancelled their football season. Watch for everyone else to follow suit in the next few days

[NWI_Irish96]

https://wsbt.com/sports/content/report-big-ten-votes-to-cancel-football-season

Dan Patrick reporting that the Big Ten and PAC-12 will announce tomorrow.

[kevinb1994]

https://wsbt.com/sports/content/report-big-ten-votes-to-cancel-football-season

Dan Patrick reporting that the Big Ten and PAC-12 will announce tomorrow.

And I expect that the ACC and SEC will announce sometime this week. Wednesday?

[SEWIGuy]

What liabilities? Hasn't the NCAA already said that any player that doesn't want to participate out of fear of getting sick won't lose his his or her scholarship? Why would there be any more liability for getting sick from a virus as opposed to suffering a catastrophic injury on the field? I'm guessing any terms of participating in team sports would require a strict waiver of liability on the part of the school.

The biggest reason the MAC is canceling is probably because of the lack of guaranteed revenue they'll lose as big conferences go to in-conference only schedules. There's no way they can play a spring football season if they don't have SEC or B1G teams available to play to bring in revenue.

Strict liability waivers aren't absolute.  Depending on the state, they normally exempt reckless or willful conduct. So if a player catches COVID and dies, or faces long-term medical problems, they could claim the school's conduct was reckless.

The risks and precautions around football and football-related injuries are more well known.  In the case of a pandemic, what is, and what isn't considered reckless is not really settled.  But it wouldn't look good if all D2, D3 and half of D1 cancel, and some player on one of the remaining D1 schools catches it and has issues.

[Alps]

https://wsbt.com/sports/content/report-big-ten-votes-to-cancel-football-season

Dan Patrick reporting that the Big Ten and PAC-12 will announce tomorrow.

And I expect that the ACC and SEC will announce sometime this week. Wednesday?

The intent was for all the major conferences to announce on the same day.

[kevinb1994]

https://wsbt.com/sports/content/report-big-ten-votes-to-cancel-football-season

Dan Patrick reporting that the Big Ten and PAC-12 will announce tomorrow.

And I expect that the ACC and SEC will announce sometime this week. Wednesday?

The intent was for all the major conferences to announce on the same day.

Your guess is as good as mine. I concur.

[thspfc]

https://wsbt.com/sports/content/report-big-ten-votes-to-cancel-football-season

Dan Patrick reporting that the Big Ten and PAC-12 will announce tomorrow.

And I expect that the ACC and SEC will announce sometime this week. Wednesday?

The intent was for all the major conferences to announce on the same day.

Your guess is as good as mine. I concur.

B1G and PAC will be first, with the other three to soon follow.