The coronavirus is destroying everything

[jeffandnicole]

Swimming pools are great...in the summer...on nice days...for 8 hours of those days.  For much of the country, they're useless the other 9 months out of the year.  And the expense and liability is thru the roof...even when the pool is closed.

Which is why community swimming pools should be built indoors, so you can still use them during the winter or after dark. The problem is that when a lot of muncipal pools were built, they were seen as a fun summer diversion for the kids to splash around in. They weren't intended for competitive sports or as an exercise facility. Naturally, if swimming is to be used as part of an exercise regimen, it needs to be available year-round.

A lot of commercial gyms have a pool that can be used for that purpose, but the dues for those gyms tend not to be very affordable.

The cost of indoor gyms are astromincal, especially for a free or low-cost community based pool.  Basically, take the cost of just running a pool during the summer, and multiply that by 4.  Take the costs of not only the building, but underground as well to keep the pool and water from freezing, especially in colder climates.  And buildings around pools need to be built to withstand the chemicals used within the pool.

Next - Don't forget indoor amenities for pool buildings, that are basically just bath houses for outdoor pools:  Bathrooms.  Showers.  Snack Bar.  Chemical Rooms.  Storage Rooms.

Oh, don't forget the lifeguards either.

The cost for an indoor community pool is astronomical.

[kphoger]

Who says every sport needs to be year-round anyway?
Swimming is a summer sport.

[US 89]

Who says every sport needs to be year-round anyway?
Swimming is a summer sport.

As someone who has driven through intense snowstorms to get to my brother's swim meets in the past, I can state that this is not true. At least the pool was indoors for that one; outdoor meet season typically began around April/May and lasted until around the end of September, but even then weather was no guarantee. I remember once driving up from Salt Lake to an outdoor meet in Logan, where it was raining and temperatures were in the 40s - and the meet went on. Only lightning would have stopped it.

[nexus73]

Swimming pools are great...in the summer...on nice days...for 8 hours of those days.  For much of the country, they're useless the other 9 months out of the year.  And the expense and liability is thru the roof...even when the pool is closed.

Which is why community swimming pools should be built indoors, so you can still use them during the winter or after dark. The problem is that when a lot of muncipal pools were built, they were seen as a fun summer diversion for the kids to splash around in. They weren't intended for competitive sports or as an exercise facility. Naturally, if swimming is to be used as part of an exercise regimen, it needs to be available year-round.

A lot of commercial gyms have a pool that can be used for that purpose, but the dues for those gyms tend not to be very affordable.

The cost of indoor gyms are astromincal, especially for a free or low-cost community based pool.  Basically, take the cost of just running a pool during the summer, and multiply that by 4.  Take the costs of not only the building, but underground as well to keep the pool and water from freezing, especially in colder climates.  And buildings around pools need to be built to withstand the chemicals used within the pool.

Next - Don't forget indoor amenities for pool buildings, that are basically just bath houses for outdoor pools:  Bathrooms.  Showers.  Snack Bar.  Chemical Rooms.  Storage Rooms.

Oh, don't forget the lifeguards either.

The cost for an indoor community pool is astronomical.

Over here in North Bend OR, we have a fine indoor pool facility, built in 1958.  If the costs were "astronomical", this place would have closed a very long time ago.  We are a middle class city of just under 10K population so this is not exactly Beverly Hills CA, where the high school of that name has an indoor pool covered by the basketball court floor.  We can actually afford to have both a basketball court seating over 3000 and an indoor pool! 

Maybe New Jersey is too broke to buy and maintain anything these days...LOL! 

Rick

[CtrlAltDel]

Who says every sport needs to be year-round anyway?
Swimming is a summer sport.

Competitive swimming is a winter sport, at least for boys, at the high level in many states, and definitely at the college level. Just checking a few things online:

For the 2019-2020 season, the Illinois high school state championships were held on February 28 and 29. In Kansas, they were held on February 23. The NCAA Division I championships were to be held from March 25 to 28, but they were canceled.

In my own high school experience, I couldn't tell you how many times my hair would freeze waiting outside after practice for my dad to pick me up. I always thought it was weird to be doing something so summery like swimming when it was so cold out, but I eventually came to enjoy it.

[kphoger]

meh.

Swimming is in the summer Olympics.

[SEWIGuy]

meh.

Swimming is in the summer Olympics.

So is basketball but that's not a summer sport.

But that's because the winter olympics have to be related to snow or ice.

[Scott5114]

And anyway the purpose of the facility would not be 100% tied to competitive swimming–it would also provide an opportunity for adults to exercise.

The indoor pool I've used the most had no lifeguard on duty, and one had to sign a document acknowledging this fact to use the pool. It was far smaller than an Olympic-size pool, though (I think it was only 5 ft deep), so the risk of drowning was quite a bit lower.

If chemicals are a real concern, you can run it as a saltwater pool. I don't know whether that's within regulation for competitive use, though.

[CtrlAltDel]

meh.

Swimming is in the summer Olympics.

I'm not sure what your point is here, other than to dismiss me for being right. The fact remains that, with minor exceptions, community and school pools in the US will not be used for competitions in the summer.

[kphoger]

The fact remains that, with minor exceptions, community and school pools in the US will not be used for competitions in the summer.

School, I'll give you.  Schools don't meet during the summer, so their sports events tend to not be during the summer.

I see no reason why that would have to be the case for community groups.

[kphoger]

In Wichita, the building of a new baseball stadium for the incoming Pacific Coast League team (renamed from the New Orleans Baby Cakes to the Wichita Wind Surge) was fraught with challenges and arguments.  Construction was just barely squeaking in under the deadline, as they were scheduled to play their first game on April 8 of this year.  Their inaugural season this year was initially postponed due to COVID, then later canceled altogether.

Now, in an unfortunate turn of events, the owner of the team, Lou Schwechheimer–who had spearheaded the building of a new stadium in Wichita–has died from COVID this past Wednesday, never having seen a single game played in the stadium, nor even his team's roster filled out.

Update:

Wichita's new stadium is scheduled to host its first game this Saturday, a college game between WSU and the University of Houston.  The stadium has dropped its distancing requirement and expects to fill 7000 of its seats, but it has kept its mask policy in place.

[Max Rockatansky]

Aside from the 2020 NCAA tournament it doesn't really seem in retrospect they COVID ended up being the sports apocalypse that was feared when this thread began. 

[Roadgeekteen]

Aside from the 2020 NCAA tournament it doesn't really seem in retrospect they COVID ended up being the sports apocalypse that was feared when this thread began.

No major professional league had to cancel their championship.

[TheGrassGuy]

Aside from the 2020 NCAA tournament it doesn't really seem in retrospect they COVID ended up being the sports apocalypse that was feared when this thread began.

No major professional league had to cancel their championship.

They really should have, though. Better safe than sorry!

[Max Rockatansky]

Aside from the 2020 NCAA tournament it doesn't really seem in retrospect they COVID ended up being the sports apocalypse that was feared when this thread began.

No major professional league had to cancel their championship.

They really should have, though. Better safe than sorry!

The financial ramifications clearly outweighed the potential risks for those leagues.   Fortunately for them that ended up being a safe bet at the end of the day.   

[kphoger]

at the end of the day

Which way to the corporate lingo thread?   

[Max Rockatansky]

at the end of the day

Which way to the corporate lingo thread?   

True, that does fit the theme of a crappy corporate buzz phrase.

[Bruce]

There's still a bit of long-term damage from COVID, though.

Sacramento is close to losing its MLS expansion franchise because the largest investor pulled out, citing COVID.

The longest-running cup competition in the country, the US Open Cup, had to cancel in 2020 and downsize in 2021 due to COVID.

A little thing called the Olympics is also on the verge of total cancellation.

[jeffandnicole]

...A little thing called the Olympics is also on the verge of total cancellation.

While I haven't followed this story too much, I had thought the Olympics were on.  Reading up, it appears Japan started vaccinating its residents in mid-February.  If they can achieve what the US should be achieving within 6 months, most of their residents - at least the ones that want to be vaccinated - should be vaccinated by the Olympics.

[TheGrassGuy]

...A little thing called the Olympics is also on the verge of total cancellation.

While I haven't followed this story too much, I had thought the Olympics were on.  Reading up, it appears Japan started vaccinating its residents in mid-February.  If they can achieve what the US should be achieving within 6 months, most of their residents - at least the ones that want to be vaccinated - should be vaccinated by the Olympics.

Japan's vaccination program, from what I've heard, is pretty horrible.

Seriously doubt the Olympics can still go on.

[thspfc]

There's still a bit of long-term damage from COVID, though.

Sacramento is close to losing its MLS expansion franchise because the largest investor pulled out, citing COVID.

Wow, California losing franchises because of stifling Covid restrictions? What a surprise! 

[hotdogPi]

There's still a bit of long-term damage from COVID, though.

Sacramento is close to losing its MLS expansion franchise because the largest investor pulled out, citing COVID.

Wow, California losing franchises because of stifling Covid restrictions? What a surprise! 

The region stretching from the Bay Area/Sacramento to the WA/BC border is actually one of the places in the US that has been hit least by the pandemic, placing fourth to Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and northern New England.

[Max Rockatansky]

^^^

And it was really nice during all my vacations late last year, it almost felt like normal life in places like Medford and Eureka.

There's still a bit of long-term damage from COVID, though.

Sacramento is close to losing its MLS expansion franchise because the largest investor pulled out, citing COVID.

Wow, California losing franchises because of stifling Covid restrictions? What a surprise! 

I didn't even realize the MLS had a team in Sacramento.  Amusingly I also didn't realize Fresno has a slightly higher population than Sacramento until now. 

[hbelkins]

Aside from the 2020 NCAA tournament it doesn't really seem in retrospect they COVID ended up being the sports apocalypse that was feared when this thread began.

Has anyone taken a deep dive into the financials? How much money was lost due to no crowds (the NASCAR races where attendance was so limited that even the announcers were calling the race from home or a studio) or very limited attendance?

Kentucky just conducted its boys' state high school basketball tournament last week, and the girls' Sweet Sixteen (Kentucky has the original use of that phrase to describe a basketball tournament, as the state still plays single-class basketball and is divided into 16 regions, the champions of which move on to the state tournament) is this week. Both are being held at Rupp Arena in Lexington. The place has been nearly empty, and it's usually at least two-thirds full for the boys' tournament.

[Bruce]

There's still a bit of long-term damage from COVID, though.

Sacramento is close to losing its MLS expansion franchise because the largest investor pulled out, citing COVID.

Wow, California losing franchises because of stifling Covid restrictions? What a surprise! 

More like the investor wasn't able to keep up due to the economic fallout from the rest of the country's botched COVID response.