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I've Stepped Back from the Ledge - B1G Why? What Happens with the Other 3 P5 Conferences? Spring Football? What's Next?

+5 HS
Scioto's picture
August 13, 2020 at 11:29am
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Man, what a 48 hours!  What a prior seven days!  What a year!  I believe that I have made it to the acceptance phase of my grieving over the loss of Ohio State football's fourth straight B1G championship, ninth straight beat down of ttun, and 2021 national championship football season.  Ramzy's and Dr. Earle's articles yesterday, and many of each of your's comments, have helped me.  So thank you.

1.  B1G Why?  First off, lawyers, college presidents, ADs are usually always risk averse.  Second, demographics (salient point in Ramzy's article yesterday).  Despite how healthy, strong, and in shape he is, Josh Myers is 6'5" and 312 lbs.  That's a BMI of 37.0.  Clinically obese is a BMI of 30.0 and above.  Justin Fields is 6'3", 228 lbs for a BMI of 28.8.  Justin is techically overweight.  Third, standards.  Something Coach Day said yesterday hit home - the standard protocols for game days and travel haven't been figured out.  And, it's been hinted at that among the B1G schools standard protocols on testing and safety haven't been able to be achieved.  Among B1G all of whom bring in near or more than $1 billion in medical research revenue annually.  Last, liability.  take one, two, and three and add in other data, myocarditis (until recently everyone thought athletes and this age group were largely unaffected, the Indiana lineman, and regardless of how understood is myocarditis and its treatments, lawyers).  So, you are asking these kids, most of whom are African Americans, to take on all of the risk with the hope that they can eventually get drafted to be paid for that risk.  This is the why.

2.  The other three P5 conferences.  They are posturing right now.  They were blindsided when the B1G went conference only games back in July, and were probably blindsided again on Tuesday.  They'll enjoy this for a little bit just to get a little payback.  But they've got the same whys as did the B1G.  Plus, they've got the worst of the pandemic currently in their conferences' footprints.  Their students return next week.  I say give them three weeks after August 21 for them to cancel their seasons.

3.  January or Spring football?  Not happening.  This novel coronavirus isn't magically disappearing when the calendar turns.  And, what has happened since January in this country that could give anyone confidence that spread will be under control to enable a football season?  Remember we were told back in March that a vaccine will be available come October?  What happened to those reports?  Yes, our understanding of the virus and treatments have gotten much better and will continue to get better, but playing football or any sport (MLB, hello) requires being able to control spread.  It's much easier to have a high school or Pop Warner football season than a college season, because you can pretend everything is ok.  You aren't testing any of those players.  You are only sticking a thermometer to their foreheads.  You aren't realizing you've got teams of asymptomatic super carriers.  None of the whys are going away.  The P5 players still aren't being compensated for the additional risks they are taking on (same risks in the Spring 2021 as in Fall 2020) and you've put additional health and safety concerns on top in playing a Spring season followed by a Fall season.  Not going to happen.    

4.  What's next?  I think all of the P5 conferences, even the SEC, has realized it's time to leave the NCAA.  Talk about an absence of leadership.  When leadership and uniformity was required, the NCAA just abdicated and went to sleep.  This will commence the move of the P5 to create their own organization with a commissioner.  It will take some time, but it's coming.  There will be a sea change in how we view amateurism that will go beyond NIL.  Some sort of revenue sharing, deferred comp, will be developed.  Will take time, but the P5 have to leave the NCAA, might need federal legislation, but 2020 will be the year it all changed.  

5.  NFL won't get a season in either.  On Tuesday and yesterday, I was at 100% the Justin Fields and Shawn Wades leave for the 2021 NFL draft.  I'm still above 50% (above 80%) that happens, but I think it's TBD at this point in time.      

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