In reaction to a lawsuit filed through 8 players from the University of Nebraska, the Big Ten Conference published the effects of an August vote that led to the postponement of the football season in the fall. Tell me it was simply not safe to play football this fall given the coronavirus pandemic.
The three who voted to play? Nebraska, Ohio and Iowa.
As you may be aware, there have been many coronavirus outbreaks on college campuses as academics return to school and are still unable to attend the party despite the myriad of cautionary signs that they should do so, even responsibly, it’s a very, very bad concept. From the soroths of the state of Kansas to the largest epidemics at the University of North Carolina, Notre Dame, Alabama and Missouri, bringing academics to campus in the COVID era might not have been the most productive concept to fight the virus and flatten the curve.
As Dr. Richard Pan, a California state senator and public fitness expert, told me a few weeks ago, outdoor school football should not be played in a bubble this fall. Iowa, where 326 more academics tested positive for coronavirus over the weekend, raised the total to 922 in the last two weeks since the start of the semester on August 18.
Football would inevitably have made this epidemic worse. Especially at a football-obsessed convention like Big Ten, football is king in the Midwest. Even if enthusiasts weren’t allowed to climb the stands in schools like Iowa, house and road games. bring other people together.
I’ve noticed enough party videos on Big Ten campuses to know that even COVID, academics would have piled up for fun and drinking and wouldn’t be socially out before and long after those football games. It is a sacred culture in the wonderful schools of football and parties, with games being the main explanation for why to gather.
Imagine how much worse epidemics would be in schools like Iowa if football took a position in the fall. This is something that schools like UNC and Notre Dame, which plan to play this fall, will have to drive and navigate to ensure protection. scholars and their general geographical location. And it probably wouldn’t be easy.
Iowa, iowa’s rival, plans to have 25,000 enthusiasts at its stadium for opening on September 12 despite an immediate buildup of coronavirus cases in the state. He’s stupid, dangerous, careless and, at worst, a thief.
For the University of Iowa, I probably wouldn’t have this problem, because the guilty members of the Big Ten voted smart and it’s not safe to play football right now. For schools like Nebraska, the state of Ohio and Iowa, the only proper reaction in this scenario is thank you.
Shlomo Sprung is a senior editor of Forbes SportsMoney, is a feature film editor at Awful Announcing and writes at FanSided, SI Knicks, YES Network and
Shlomo Sprung is senior editor of Forbes SportsMoney. He is also a feature film editor for Awful Announcing and writes for FanSided, SI Knicks, YES Network and other publications. He graduated in 2011 from Columbia University School of Journalism and has worked for the New York Knicks, Business Insider, Sporting News and Major League Baseball in the past. You follow him on Twitter.