Big 12 moves ahead with fall sports beginning in September

[pstokely]

Source: KCTV

KANSAS CITY, MO (AP) -- The Big 12 Conference reaffirmed its decision to press on with college football and other fall sports Wednesday, joining the Atlantic Coast and Southeastern conferences in taking the field amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The move came one day after the Big Ten and Pac-12 announced they would not be participating this fall. There is a chance the other two Power Five leagues will push their seasons to the spring, but that remains to be determined.

In the meantime, the Big 12 board of directors approved a plan to begin fall sports after Sept. 1 with football playing a schedule in which each team can play one non-conference game before league play begins Sept. 26. The schools will all play each other to give them 10 total games with the Big 12 title game scheduled for Dec. 12.

The league's schools have agreed to enhanced COVID-19 testing that includes three tests per week in “high contact” sports such as football, volleyball and soccer. Rigorous testing that includes echocardiograms, a cardiac MRI and blood tests will be required before athletes can return to play. All non-conference opponents also must adhere to Big 12 standards.

Read more: https://www.kctv5.com/sports/locker_room/big-12-moves-ahead-with-fall-sports-beginning-in-september/article_9e88d0f4-dcb3-11ea-942c-bbd549f43cd0.html

[dem4decades]

1. Well we now know who runs the Big 12, Football coaches, not Presidents.

[LonePirate]

10. The football coaches are paid either way. I think it's the ADs, alumni and people who profit.

[redstatebluegirl]

2. Not the least bit surprised.

Think about this, even if they go with 40 percent capacity at our stadium that is 42000 or so people to bring to campus. We require masks, even walking on campus, do you think the people who come in for those games will comply? Of course not, then Monday morning all of the faculty and staff who work on campus go to work where people have touched everything! They do not stay just in the stadium or around the stadium. We have found fans in various buildings, especially when it is hot. Using the restrooms, touching banisters and doors, this is a nightmare.

I predict a massive outbreak within 2 weeks of these games being played. But the south must have their football, school is optional.

[Thekaspervote]

3. Exactly!!

[rurallib]

5. Using the restrooms? Foodball crowds I have seen do not always

even try to get to restrooms.

[redstatebluegirl]

6. I worked a lot of football Saturdays, our building was close to the stadium.

The johns were full of female football fans, all ages.

[TheFarseer]

12. Did I miss where it said 40% fans?

I assumed it would be no fans.

[redstatebluegirl]

13. That is what they have thrown out there, at the low end 25%, our stadium holds close to 90,000.

[DURHAM D]

4. S-T-U-P-I-D !!!

[empedocles]

7. Red States stupid self-certification processes well underway

[sarcasmo]

19. Covidiots!

[BumRushDaShow]

8. And so if something like what happened to the Marlins and the Cardinals as a minimal-contact sport,

happens with these college teams, where they suddenly have a couple positives, including team members and coaches, then will half (or more) of the team end up in quarantine unable to play for 2 weeks (and in the case of the pro sports, they at least had a whole "reserve" bench to step up)?

The pro baseball players tend to run in the younger ages and with no bubble, we saw what happened to them (vs the pro hockey teams, also a younger set, but in a complete bubble not even located in the U.S.).

Good luck keeping the football players out of the off-campus frat parties, even if their colleges decide to go all virtual.

[Rebl2]

9. Big mistake!

[Sherman A1]

11. That TV Money

is a strong incentive.

[roamer65]

16. I usually add ESPN to my Dish package in the fall.

I won’t be adding it this fall season. Fuck them.

[paleotn]

18. Bingo. No TV, no cash.

No cash, then no way to pay those coach's gazillion dollar salaries. Nike and Under Armour want their logos broadcast to millions of eyeballs. But if they do play, then they end up with sick players and cancelled games just like MLB. They're kind of between a rock and a hard place, but my heart doesn't bleed for them. Not one bit.

[msongs]

14. plenty of tests available for the gladiators, but grandma? sorry nt

[roamer65]

15. Let them be stupid.

The Big Ten and PAC-12 can learn from their foibles and play their games in the spring with a Rose Bowl game between the two like old times.

[paleotn]

17. It will end in disaster....

All the monitoring on earth won't make a damn bit of difference, since Covid-19 is out of control in those states, with no end in sight. There will be tons of Eduardo Rodriguezs. Some may die. And it's not just players. There's tons of staff, coaches, etc. Major college football is a massive undertaking and an expensive one. And that's the rub. They have to have money to keep it going. No games, then no TV and sponsorship payoff. No TV, then no money to fuel the massive football machine. But this time it will be a sham of sick players and cancelled games, just like the current MLB train wreck. You can't cheat a virus by wishing it away and going on like it isn't real. It is real. And no amount of monitoring can change that.

[Botany]

20. And it will be shut down by mid Sept.

Granted I like college football but our #1 job should be fighting the virus
and these games will help in spreading the virus and that will sicken and
or kill people.

BTW will all that testing take away testing capacity for other people?

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

22. This. Their plan will last for one or two games, maybe.

There's no way to avoid contact in most sports. Football demands contact. I stopped playing doubles in tennis because contact is unavoidable (at the hack-amateur level I play).

Testing is fine. If you test the same fifty people over and over again, you'll get fewer "positives" than if you spread those tests over a wider population. Win-win.

[VarryOn]

21. I see I'm in the minority on this one!

I'm good with teams following strict protocols with everyone understanding the season will be over quickly if conditions escalate. Im an SEC school fan, and their decision thus far is really not to cancel the season at this point, eliminate two games, and move the beginning of the season back three weeks. I'd bet the season will eventually be canceled, but I am glad they are going to, at least, try.

Even without COVID, football is a risky sport, and other injuries are, I'm guessing, more likely to happen than catching COVID. But, players are healthy and young, and thus, their prognosis is good even if they catch the virus. If everyone from players to coaches to support staff are aware of the risk, play on! Anyone not comfortable, take a year off.

Five weeks ago, my wife, son and I went to a NASCAR race. It was in TX and one of the few this year where fans were allowed. They seated families in groups of 10 or smaller, and each group was at least 8-10 feet apart. Attendance was estimated to be about 25K. It was actually quite comfortable, save for the temperature. The rule was that if you get up from your seat, a mask was required. The fans abided very well, and five weeks on, none of us have been sick. And I haven't read of any outbreaks attributed to the race. I think if fans can be spaced out and outdoors, they can be fairly safe.

I am not going to attend any football games as I much rather watch them on TV. I'd see no problem having the stadiums empty, though.

I just think we as a country need as much normalcy as we can possibly get. Mentally, we need that. And college football to a lot of us would represent some level of normalcy...if it can be pulled off with as few infections as possible. Aim for zero infections but don't require it. Expect a few, and if it can stay with just a few, they should play.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

23. I have no problem with college athletes playing their sports.

But, having traveled and played, they should probably quarantine ("bubble&quot and not attend classes. Contact tracing will get complicated if they attend classes.