2020 Season Thoughts?

[ragtimejoe1]

At his point and from a liability standpoint, I don't know that we'll be back to having games with fans in the stadium this year. Even if states like WY are okay with it, not all states will follow the same model which will pose significant scheduling issues. Additionally, though I am now officially in the group that thinks this is being too overblown, I still fully recognize the virus is bad enough to cause significant disruptions in situations where it starts to spread rapidly (not just deaths but lots of people out of commission for extended periods--problems for workforce and such). Meaning, I think we can loosen things up a bunch, but I'm not sure that we'll be back to normal nationwide and will likely be experiencing pockets of disruptions where COVID rears up.

I've seen lots of proposals being thrown around from just a conference slate to P5 breaking off this year for their own deal. Obviously if everything is back to normal, this topic is irrelevant. However, assume it is not, what do you think this means for WYO athletics and the MWC?

1) Can the AD function without team sports in the fall of 2020? In the 2020-2021 season?
2) Will the MWC be cohesive enough to even have a conference slate? Will certain members of the MWC have games and some not (thinking CA here)?
3) Can the AD function with games being only televised or is that too cost prohibitive?
4) Predictions on what you think CFB will look like in 2020?

Other thoughts?

 

[LanderPoke]

With how people have lost their minds, I doubt there'll be a season with fans at games. Who knows if they'll have games at all? Heck, they'll probably cite "player safety" or some similar asinine shit for not playing the games. Because one life lost is too much (even though people in their late teens and early twenties are at essentially zero percent chance of dying from this or even getting seriously ill). I'm almost too disgusted with the world to even think about this because it just makes me angry, sad and hopeless and for our society.

 

[WestWYOPoke]

With how people have lost their minds, I doubt there'll be a season with fans at games. Who knows if they'll have games at all? Heck, they'll probably cite "player safety" or some similar asinine Sh#t for not playing the games. Because one life lost is too much (even though people in their late teens and early twenties are at essentially zero percent chance of dying from this or even getting seriously ill). I'm almost too disgusted with the world to even think about this because it just makes me angry, sad and hopeless and for our society.

The biggest problem with having teams back and practicing and playing is that if 1 player tests positive, you are going to have to quarantine pretty much the entire team for 2 weeks, unless that team has enough tests to test everyone. Pretty difficult to do in the middle of a season. I do agree that the risk of a college football player dying from Covid is extremely low, but everyone else that they come into contact with could be problematic. In a town like Laramie, all it takes is one player to get it, spread to several players, who walk around asymptomatic for a few days, and that starts a small outbreak in the town.

As for MWC play, yesterday the Governor of California laid out their "road plan" to reopening. Having fans at live sporting events was in Stage 4 of the plan. He said they are still a few weeks away from Stage 2. In order to get to Stage 4, therapeutics (I.E. Vaccine or other effective medication) must be developed first. So who knows how long until they are allowing fans into stadiums. Certainly puts a crunch on SDSU, Fresno and SJSU.

 

[LanderPoke]

With how people have lost their minds, I doubt there'll be a season with fans at games. Who knows if they'll have games at all? Heck, they'll probably cite "player safety" or some similar asinine Sh#t for not playing the games. Because one life lost is too much (even though people in their late teens and early twenties are at essentially zero percent chance of dying from this or even getting seriously ill). I'm almost too disgusted with the world to even think about this because it just makes me angry, sad and hopeless and for our society.

The biggest problem with having teams back and practicing and playing is that if 1 player tests positive, you are going to have to quarantine pretty much the entire team for 2 weeks, unless that team has enough tests to test everyone. Pretty difficult to do in the middle of a season. I do agree that the risk of a college football player dying from Covid is extremely low, but everyone else that they come into contact with could be problematic. In a town like Laramie, all it takes is one player to get it, spread to several players, who walk around asymptomatic for a few days, and that starts a small outbreak in the town.

As for MWC play, yesterday the Governor of California laid out their "road plan" to reopening. Having fans at live sporting events was in Stage 4 of the plan. He said they are still a few weeks away from Stage 2. In order to get to Stage 4, therapeutics (I.E. Vaccine or other effective medication) must be developed first. So who knows how long until they are allowing fans into stadiums. Certainly puts a crunch on SDSU, Fresno and SJSU.

Yeah, none of this is encouraging as far as having a season goes. :| I'm of the school of thought that the sooner young people (under 50 or 60) get the virus the better. So it would be a positive thing to get the teams infected asap. The only way out of this is herd immunity. I was shocked to hear that many past viruses don't even have a vaccine, and if they do it's about as effective as the flu vaccine. imo, we've got to take action as if no vaccine is coming. We know the the high risk groups and therefore should protect only those groups. I'll never understand why we've taken the course of action that we have. It should be on individuals to isolate themselves if they are high-risk.

 

[OrediggerPoke]

With how people have lost their minds, I doubt there'll be a season with fans at games. Who knows if they'll have games at all? Heck, they'll probably cite "player safety" or some similar asinine Sh#t for not playing the games. Because one life lost is too much (even though people in their late teens and early twenties are at essentially zero percent chance of dying from this or even getting seriously ill). I'm almost too disgusted with the world to even think about this because it just makes me angry, sad and hopeless and for our society.

The biggest problem with having teams back and practicing and playing is that if 1 player tests positive, you are going to have to quarantine pretty much the entire team for 2 weeks, unless that team has enough tests to test everyone. Pretty difficult to do in the middle of a season. I do agree that the risk of a college football player dying from Covid is extremely low, but everyone else that they come into contact with could be problematic. In a town like Laramie, all it takes is one player to get it, spread to several players, who walk around asymptomatic for a few days, and that starts a small outbreak in the town.

As for MWC play, yesterday the Governor of California laid out their "road plan" to reopening. Having fans at live sporting events was in Stage 4 of the plan. He said they are still a few weeks away from Stage 2. In order to get to Stage 4, therapeutics (I.E. Vaccine or other effective medication) must be developed first. So who knows how long until they are allowing fans into stadiums. Certainly puts a crunch on SDSU, Fresno and SJSU.

Yeah, none of this is encouraging as far as having a season goes. :| I'm of the school of thought that the sooner young people (under 50 or 60) get the virus the better. So it would be a positive thing to get the teams infected asap. The only way out of this is herd immunity. I was shocked to hear that many past viruses don't even have a vaccine, and if they do it's about as effective as the flu vaccine. imo, we've got to take action as if no vaccine is coming. We know the the high risk groups and therefore should protect only those groups. I'll never understand why we've taken the course of action that we have. It should be on individuals to isolate themselves if they are high-risk.

I also follow this line of belief...although I'm blasted by so many for having this belief. The way I see it - we will have fewer deaths and fewer societal problems in the long run (including homelessness and mental health issues) as soon as a good portion of the population builds up an immunity to effectively wipe out the virus.

If I was in charge and keep in mind that I am no qualified medical professional - I'd probably recommend that all healthy folks under the age of 50 get back to work and mostly live life as we did prior to the coronavirus. The exception would be those in the medical fields caring for the sick and the elderly (we have to keep them healthy). All at-risk and older populations, I'd recommend social isolating until its deemed safe (which could be more than a year). These at-risk and elderly populations should receive assistance in weathering the storm . What do I base this theory on - just the statistics I've seen regarding hospitalization and death rates of those groups under 50 that are not considered at-risk.

 

[LanderPoke]

Completely agree Oredigger. Statistics tell us that there's really nothing to worry about if you are under 60 and are relatively healthy. Heck, if we have to get the national guard out there in space suits protecting nursing homes and hospitals let's do it if it would make people feel OK about grandma being safe. Damn, make the national guard run errands for the old people so they can stay home. Anything would be less destructive and cheaper than what we are doing.

 

[ragtimejoe1]

Completely agree Oredigger. Statistics tell us that there's really nothing to worry about if you are under 60 and are relatively healthy. Heck, if we have to get the national guard out there in space suits protecting nursing homes and hospitals let's do it if it would make people feel OK about grandma being safe. Damn, make the national guard run errands for the old people so they can stay home. Anything would be less destructive and cheaper than what we are doing.

I know I quoted Lander, but :rofl: I think Oredigger and I agree on something for once.

For the record, this isn't my comment (came from someone in a FB group I'm in) and I haven't decided if I agree or not, but it did make me think. I'm paraphrasing...

"If the virus wore a uniform and carried a gun and was forcing people to stay in their homes, forcing businesses to close, trampling on the bill of rights, while sending the US into another great depression, those over 60 would vote to put the lives of an infinite number of 18-30 year-olds at risk in warfare. When the shoe is on the other foot, the entire US must hide from the enemy in our houses so we don't risk the lives of those over 60."

Back to topic, I think another major issue will be TV and sponsorship. Who will be willing to put money in knowing the season may be cancelled at any moment or teams be quarantined for 14 days (as WestWyoPoke pointed out).

 

[bladerunnr]

With how people have lost their minds, I doubt there'll be a season with fans at games. Who knows if they'll have games at all? Heck, they'll probably cite "player safety" or some similar asinine Sh#t for not playing the games. Because one life lost is too much (even though people in their late teens and early twenties are at essentially zero percent chance of dying from this or even getting seriously ill). I'm almost too disgusted with the world to even think about this because it just makes me angry, sad and hopeless and for our society.

I very much doubt there will be games without fans. This isn't the NFL. Most College teams need a big gate to justify playing. Someone in the know would have the breakdown of ticket/concession sales versus t.v. money. I know that the current popular opinion is we will have games without fans. If we are still at that point, will classes even be open in the fall? How do you stop thousands of students from breaking social distance rules?
The Greeley stampede was recently cancelled. I'm wondering what will happen to Frontier days. If that goes forward with all those big concerts, it would give me some hope that people's attitudes are starting to change.

 

[OrediggerPoke]

With how people have lost their minds, I doubt there'll be a season with fans at games. Who knows if they'll have games at all? Heck, they'll probably cite "player safety" or some similar asinine Sh#t for not playing the games. Because one life lost is too much (even though people in their late teens and early twenties are at essentially zero percent chance of dying from this or even getting seriously ill). I'm almost too disgusted with the world to even think about this because it just makes me angry, sad and hopeless and for our society.

I very much doubt there will be games without fans. This isn't the NFL. Most College teams need a big gate to justify playing. Someone in the know would have the breakdown of ticket/concession sales versus t.v. money. I know that the current popular opinion is we will have games without fans. If we are still at that point, will classes even be open in the fall? How do you stop thousands of students from breaking social distance rules?
The Greeley stampede was recently cancelled. I'm wondering what will happen to Frontier days. If that goes forward with all those big concerts, it would give me some hope that people's attitudes are starting to change.

You bring up great points. What I fear is this - a big time University will announce that fall classes will be online citing student safety. That will cause a cascade of Universities to make the same announcement and also insurance companies may demand that. Colleges bring students and faculty in from all over the US and the World so they are in a bit of a different boat as compared to local K-12s. I don't agree with this sentiment but the University will likely be erring on the side of caution to the maximum extent.

As of now and despite by beliefs to the contrary - I am personally doubtful that the University of Wyoming conducts in person classes in the fall. The only thing that gives me a beacon of hope was today's announcement that remdesivir has shown to reduce the length of coronavirus symptoms in a blind study (the first drug clinically proven to have any impact as treatment for coronavirus).

As soon as one school cancels in-person fall classes (likely effectively cancelling fall sports) the trickle down will be very fast. It was only a matter of days after Duke first announced the suspension of spring sports and then the NCAAT was cancelled.

 

[OrediggerPoke]

I know I quoted Lander, but :rofl: I think Oredigger and I agree on something for once.

We can agree :lol:

 

[Asmodeanreborn]

I know I quoted Lander, but :rofl: I think Oredigger and I agree on something for once.

We can agree :lol:

I was going to respond about who knows what, and then lightning struck out of a clear sky and I swear a dozen pigs flew by. Pretty sure Hell also froze over.

If there was anybody here who didn't believe in miracles, they'd only have to read this thread to find new faith.

 

[ZapPoke]

Here’s a weird thing to consider. I read two separate articles today about people who were sick with Covid19 continuing to test positive a month after they recovered. One was about Chinese patients and the other was in Casper. What do we make of that? Are they now immune but can continue to infect others?

 

[ragtimejoe1]

I know I quoted Lander, but :rofl: I think Oredigger and I agree on something for once.

We can agree :lol:

I was going to respond about who knows what, and then lightning struck out of a clear sky and I swear a dozen pigs flew by. Pretty sure Hell also froze over.

If there was anybody here who didn't believe in miracles, they'd only have to read this thread to find new faith.

:rofl: It only took a pandemic.

 

[OrediggerPoke]

Per release by interim President Theobald today - The University of Wyoming has not made a decision whether to conduct classes in the fall. In the event that classes occur, the University is looking at a plan to start early and end the semester prior to Thanksgiving. The stated concern is a second round of coronavirus and the concern for students returning to campus after travelling for Thanksgiving.

EDIT: Meant conduct in-person classes. The University will have classes online if they are not in-person.

 

[snowpoke]

For all the reasons above, I can’t imagine how they’ll be able to have a season until a vaccine comes out. I’m guessing that means football will be 2021. Or would they consider spring football if we had a vaccine by winter?! Interesting possibility.

 

[wwplayer]

For all the reasons above, I can’t imagine how they’ll be able to have a season until a vaccine comes out. I’m guessing that means football will be 2021. Or would they consider spring football if we had a vaccine by winter?! Interesting possibility.

Spring football? Growing up in Laramie and going to school at UW, I don't remember this mythical thing called "spring"..... Winter and the 4th of July seemed to be the only seasons (although I do recall some beautiful fall days - between snow storms), if my memory hold true........

 

[bladerunnr]

For all the reasons above, I can’t imagine how they’ll be able to have a season until a vaccine comes out. I’m guessing that means football will be 2021. Or would they consider spring football if we had a vaccine by winter?! Interesting possibility.

I agree that football this year is unlikely. The vaccine is what i question. If this virus mutates like the flu virus, we may never have an effective vaccine. Moreover, I don't know why there is hope that we will have a vaccine within a year. It might be several years. It took 7 years to develop a vaccine for the Ebola virus. I thought the shutdown was to "flatten the curve". Well, Wyoming has had 7 deaths? At what point do people start to live their lives again?
If there are no classes this fall, how many Laramie businesses will close forever? CSU is preparing to make massive budget cuts (their words). I think it's time people start to consider the costs of "staying safe".

 

[fromolwyoming]

If there is football, there won't be people attending.

But I do lean towards no football this season (and all players nation wide getting a "redshirt year" so to speak).

 

[Wyokie]

But I do lean towards no football this season (and all players nation wide getting a "redshirt year" so to speak).

Very safe bet the NCAA will grant that....and to all the basketball players as well should that sport get canned for the year.

 

[stymeman]

The way Mononucleosis runs thru the basketball team every few years(Nance and Thompson), this is going to be a very interesting school year not only for players but students as a whole as well. I think the crowds will be down considering the closeness and proximity fans are together. Again changes will be made and some we aren't going to like, but I'm afraid this is our new "normal", unfortunately.